breast cancer - Media Categories

E V E RY T H I N G
YO U
N E E D
T O
K N O W
T O
H E L P
YO U
B E AT
C A N C E R
i c o n
2005
Issue 3
EXCLUSIVE
MARSHA HUNT
A solo battle with
breast cancer
PROSTATE CANCER
LATEST
An update on
the newest drugs
THE FOUR PILLARS
OF CANCER
Our prevention guide
starts here
TURNING UP THE HEAT
How hyperthermia
works
IT’S ONLY NATURAL
How green is your tea?
i n t e g r a t e d
c a n c e r
a n d
o n c o l o g y
n e w s
Essential reading on cancer
A brand new bible! The fount of all knowledge.
Over 80 pages more than the first edition, but still
in that simple, highly usable style; all the causes,
all the treatments.
The ultimate guide for people who have cancer
and anyone who wants to prevent it.
Best seller
2003 and 2004
This is a truly inspirational step-by-step guide. It
should be given out by every GP – a simple guide
to help you prepare your own wholistic cancer
programme.
It covers absolutely everything everything from
support groups to supplements.
New 2004
£9
3rd edition
£15
The new second edition – this book looks at the
science of beating cancer through diet and then
turns it into something really easy-to-read and use.
This book is a genuine first: A comprehensive
review of complementary and alternative therapies
from all over the world.
A diet of addition, not omission, with ideas and
recipes and shopping lists.
Much needed and long overdue.
Best seller 2004
£15
Breast cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer,
colon cancer, melanoma etc. etc.
This is an authoritative guide on the dangers of
oestrogen in so many cancers, and how to cut it
from your life.
New 2004
£9
New 2005
£15
ALL PRICES
EXCLUDE POSTAGE AND PACKING
TO ORDER RING
01280 815 166
NOW !
You owe them to your good health.
icon
This magazine is dedicated to Catherine Woollams
A magazine from CANCERactive
Registered Charity No.
1102413 England
EDITOR: Maggie Goodman
CONTRIBUTORS: Melanie Hart,
Madeleine Kingsley and Ginny
Fraser.
ART DIRECTOR: Jeremy Baker
PUBLISHING TEAM:
Chris Woollams & Lindsey Fealey
All profits go to CANCERactive
For information on how to
receive i c o n regularly, please
contact us as follows:
4
DR JULIAN
KENYON ANSWERS
YOUR PROBLEMS
OUR INTEGRATIVE NURSE
ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
6
LIVING PROOF
Marsha Hunt tackles breast
cancer with calm and courage
Visit our websites:
www.iconmag.co.uk
www.canceractive.com
Barbara Cox discusses
JUICING in our new regular
feature
PREVENTION
CONFERENCE
Important news
from CANCERactive
22
26
Every article and photograph printed in
15 THINGS
YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT COLON CANCER
CANCERactive and may not be reproduced
without prior permission.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
While every attempt has been made to
ensure accuracy, neither the magazine, its
staff, nor publishers accept any
responsibility for errors, omissions or
consequences.
Cancer is a very serious and very individual
disease and readers must consult with
experts in the appropriate medical field
before taking any action or refraining
from any action.
The content of this magazine is in no way
intended to be a substitute for any
treatment recommended by a qualified
medical practitioner or cancer specialist.
Printed by:
Premier Print Group, 25-31 Violet
Road, Bow, London E3 3QQ
LET’S BE COMPLEMENTARY
16
THE FOOD DOCTOR
We would like to thank all
doctors, nurses, health workers
and practitioners who made this
issue of icon possible
this magazine is the copyright of
12
14
Gawcott, Buckingham MK18 4JB
Telephone us on 01280 815166
CANCERactive: 01280 821 211
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Turn up the heat - it’s
HYPERTHERMIA!
i c o n , The Elms, Radclive Road
Fax us on 01280 824655
contents
Ask Nurse Patricia
Write to us at
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i c o n
A comprehensive update
21
NOTICEBOARD
News and views
24
THE EU AND
THE VITAMIN BAN
What the new rules really mean
Centrefold pin-up
35
PROSTATE CANCER DRUGS
ICON INFO - Your vital
reference page
CANCERactive news
Catch up on the latest
happenings
38
CANCERactive How to join us
GREEN TEA: TOO
GOOD TO BE TRUE?
THE 4 PILLARS OF CANCER
Chris Woollams introduces a
4-part guide to prevention that
could save your life
36
40
IT’S ONLY NATURAL
28
Charging up your
immune system: how
Bio-Bran can help
CANCER WATCH
42
Latest nutition and
drug findings; chemical world
47 49
HOT GOSSIP
Hear it here first!
i c o n
4
J U L I A N
K E N Y O N ’ S
C O L U M N
Dr. Kenyon answers
Q
I have recently been diagnosed with
lieomyosarcoma of the uterus. My general
gynaecological consultant has given me such a
bleak picture of the outcome, I almost wanted
to give up there and then.
My friend has been to one of Chris Woollams’
lectures and bought two of the books. They have
been a little ray of hope in what appears to be a very
bleak time.
I would like to know if there is anything specific to
these cancers that I can do for myself. I am a single
parent with a 13 year old daughter.
A
Your gynaecologist has painted a bleak picture of
the outcome and it is true that sarcomas in general
are not noted for their cure rates.
Generally speaking, surgery is an important option.
Chemotherapy, also generally speaking, offers a four
percent chance of any effect.
Q
I’m looking for guidance about alternative
cancer treatment centres and wonder if you can
offer any help.
My partner has suffered from cervical cancer for
the last seven years and has been treated with a
combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. (We
have also been avid readers of i c o n and have
followed much of your advice on diet and healthy
living.) However, it seems we are coming to the end
of the line with conventional medicine and I am
researching cancer hospitals that use alternative
methods of treatment. For example I was very
interested in Chris’s interview with Dr Contreras of
the Oasis of Hope Clinic in Mexico.
The biggest issue I face is how to choose between
different treatment centres, and I would
gratefully appreciate any advice you have.
A
There are many alternative cancer treatment centres
worldwide. I’d look for one that has a mixture of
conventional and alternative approaches. The
downside of the Mexican centres is that they have
relatively little in terms of conventional approaches
available to them.
Essentially, what we concentrate on at the Dove Clinic is
safe treatments for late-stage cancers and therefore we
cannot use standard chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as most
of our patients have Stage 4 cancers and cannot tolerate
these approaches.
In terms of tumour cell destruction, our most successful
approach has been with Photodynamic Therapy.
We also do a great deal of work in stimulating cell
mediated immunity and this relates to various sub-sets of
white cells. This is a complex area and is not just a case of
simply stimulating the immune system. We can do that
specifically against the protein on the patient’s tumour
using targeted vaccines known as dendritic cell vaccines.
I hope this is helpful.
I can only quote our own findings, that with Photodynamic
Therapy we have managed to hold several sarcomas in a
stable condition, in one case for more than a year.
However, we have not cured any of them. We have had no
effect using standard nutritional medicine but have had
some marginal effects using angiogenesis inhibitors
(preparations to stop new blood vessel formation in
tumours) and vigorous stimulation of cell mediated immune
function, using specific proteoglycans preparations.
These I feel are the main areas to concentrate on.
Q
My husband has recently been diagnosed with
lung cancer. Thirty years ago he worked in a
boatyard building fibreglass boats and I am
wondering whether the fibreglass dust
contributed to his disease.
I am particularly concerned because our son also
works in a boatyard. Is there anything he can do to
protect himself or at least build up his immune
system?
A
The chances are that the fibreglass itself isn’t
responsible, but the solvents, which are very volatile
when building fibreglass boats, can be very toxic to
the lungs.
I personally have seen several lung cancer patients who
have worked in environments with high volatile
hydrocarbons such as dry cleaners. I haven’t been able to
locate any epidemiological studies on this particular factor,
but I feel certain they must exist.
From your son’s point of view, I would get some advice on
how he could best detox from the almost constant
inhalation in enclosed spaces of volatile hydrocarbons.
Also on methods of stimulating his cell mediated immunity.
This is our main defence system against cancer.
Please write to or email Dr Kenyon, c/o the i c o n office (address on Page 3). Dr Kenyon can also be reached by visiting
www.doveclinic.com or on 020 7580 8886 and 01962 718000.
E D I T O R I A L
i c o n
i c o n
Our biggest issue yet
B
ecause we are now quarterly, we have a terrific lot
to say for ourselves which is why this issue is
bigger than ever - 52 pages - and we still have
trouble packing everything in!
We are very proud to feature the story of Marsha Hunt’s
battle with breast cancer; her approach is as individual as
she is and although we wouldn’t necessarily recommend
all her methods, our policy has always been to do what
feels right for you… and she’s certainly a good example
of that.
In particular we admire the nonchalant way Marsha deals
with losing her trademark abundant hair. It shows she
has a real grip on the things that really matter at this
crucial stage in her life.
In this issue we publish the first part of Chris Woollams’
Four Pillars of Cancer. Long-term readers may remember
the same theme in the very first issue of i c o n , and he
has now expanded it into the most comprehensive guide
available to prevention and taking responsibility for our
own health. So comprehensive, in fact, that the whole
story will be told over four issues of the magazine. Make
sure you keep reading.
Still on the subject of prevention, you will find
information on Page 22 of our very first Prevention
Conference in London on November 17th. Definitely not
one to miss.
Congratulations are in order to our popular columnist
Patricia Peat who gave birth to a son, Alexander George
last month. (See photo on page 11.) She was actually
finishing this month’s column on the day the baby
was due to arrive but fortunately he wasn’t in too much
of a hurry!
We were all very sad to hear about the death of Michael
Gearin-Tosh, a great friend of i c o n and CANCERactive
who has been featured many times in this magazine.
Having been given six months to live after a diagnosis of
multiple myeloma, he survived for many years by guts
and determination and by following a tough regime
based on the Gerson therapy. He died, not of cancer, but
of a virulent blood infection, at a time when, apparently,
his cancer test results were very good.
On this page, Chris Woollams pays his personal tribute to
a most remarkable man.
Lindsey Fealey
MICHAEL GEARIN-TOSH
Michael Gearin-Tosh was, quite simply an inspiration
to us all. He showed everyone with cancer that you
do not have to accept the status quo of orthodox
medicine and its gloomy statistics. And that by being
open-minded, doing your homework and then
being disciplined on a course of action you can give
yourself seven or eight times more life expectancy
than the world can offer.
But let us be clear. Here was an exceptional man
who was charming, intelligent and with a wonderful
command of the English language. He chose to
undertake the Gerson Therapy but not to the total
exclusion of orthodox medicine, although he saw
little point in taking “poisonous drugs” that would
probably only extend his life by a year or so at a cost
to both his general well-being and lifestyle. He
became a founding patron of CANCERactive and
believed fervently in an integrated approach to
treating cancer. The best of all that is available.
I first met him when he was speaking to a group of
doctors. I was asked spontaneously to comment on
his choice of self-treatment and offered that I could
see why the Gerson Therapy might have a strong
beneficial effect with multiple myeloma, indeed any
sort of lymphoma/leukaemia/blood cancer, because
it is essentially a wonderful detox and we know that
such cancers are more likely caused by poisons.
I then stated that, for example, farmers have a far
higher incidence of multiple myeloma because of
the pesticides they use. This was all greeted by
howls of protest from medical professionals around
the room.
At this point Michael, who had been calmly sitting
on stage sipping from his thermos flask of
self-prepared fruit and vegetable juices, raised his six
foot plus frame from his chair, looked carefully at
the whole audience and said, slowly and
deliberately in the voice of eminent Oxford don:
“Christopher is absolutely right”.
No -one uttered another word. The presence had
spoken.
How ironic that, in the end, he did not succumb to
cancer but to an unrelated infection. CJW
We're here to prevent people dying from cancer
5
i c o n
6
L I V I N G
P R O O F
Marsha Hunt
steers it solo through breast cancer
By Madeleine Kingsley
‘Young, Gifted
and Black‘ – the
sixties soul song title
understates, if anything,
what Marsha Hunt meant
to that swinging decade
when she and her huge
halo of hair hit London,
starred in the radical rock
musical Hair and bore
Mick Jagger his first child
– a daughter, Karis.
Photographed nude by
Lord Lichfield, Marsha
became an icon of beauty
and boldness. She has
since remade her name as
a writer and novelist and
made homes in Kent,
France and Ireland where
she now lives. Always
health and body
conscious, Marsha,
discovered she had breast
cancer last November.
cancer, more of which you
can catch in an ITV
documentary Real Life:
Beating Breast Cancer on
September 26, 2005 and
in her book UNDEFEATED
(Mainstream, October)
i c o n ’s Living Proofs
usually feature survivors
of some years, but this
exclusive first interview
about her journey took
place as Marsha was still
part-way through
radiotherapy. It reflects
her singular views on,
and feisty approach to
“I’d been working on a
biography about Jimi
Hendrix when I developed
tenderness in my right
breast. There was a lump,
but I insisted on not
stopping my work. I knew
that I was putting my health
in danger, but I decided that
the book was more
important. I still believe that
now. It felt like my life’s work
as I’d been working on it for
four years. I wanted to have
something tangible to come
back to, not just the kernel
of an idea which could easily
be dissipated as treatment
took over. I’m not 12; I am
59 and I’ve had a fabulous
life. Although I feel a youth
about me, chronologically I
am old, and proud to be
that. I believe that we are
soldiers and we come here to
do good things which can be
more important than just
hanging in there to live until
you are 80.
Photos by Derek Spiers
L I V I N G
B
etween June and
November, when I
sought treatment, the
lump became more
swollen and irritated. The
surgeon I eventually saw at
the hospital, literally
touched my breast and said
‘I think this is cancer.’ Within
two and a half hours I had
been for a mammogram, an
ultra sound and a biopsy. So
although the jury was still
out until he saw me again
three days later, cancer
seemed pretty likely. My
daughter Karis was at home
in LA, six weeks from having
a baby, so she felt troubled
that she couldn’t come and
take care of me.
My issue was ‘Guess what! I
am in Ireland with a support
system to die for. You hang
where you are. I’m going to
be fine’
C
rucial to my attitude
was that I had been
carer to my former
partner Alan through
his colorectal cancer. So the
process wasn’t alien to me
and I wasn’t scared. We’d
met 10 years ago, when he
was making a documentary
about me and I moved to
Ireland to be with him.
Our lives were happy, but
getting involved with
somebody 17 years younger
than yourself you assume
that it’ll be you whose
health suffers first. Instead,
five years ago, aged 37, Alan
got a major, serious cancer.
He was so ill that I became
very involved throughout.
We really kicked ass with
him and he didn’t just come
through: he sailed.
Through that experience I
saw that crisis is also
opportunity: sometimes
these things happen in your
life in a good way, because
they force you to make
changes. Alan is fine now,
but thinking this was his
wake-up call I felt he should
afterwards go off and be
with somebody his age, We
parted, though we are still
very good friends: he
married and his baby is just a
year old.
Facing cancer, I’m also lucky
in my philosophy which owes
a lot to living in Ireland
where they have very real
views on life and death.
Being able to say I have had
a fabulous life affords one a
lot less fear about death,
especially as I have written
books which I’d leave behind
as well as children and
grandchildren. So hey, my
thought was, ‘If it’s my time,
it’s my time.’ Living alone as
I have been, you have
nobody sitting waiting for
breakfast giving you the
impression you have to be
alive for them.
T
here’s a lot to be said
for that. Speaking as
his carer, I am sure
that Alan was, at the
time, advantaged because he
had me fighting his corner. I
P R O O F
i c o n
7
don’t say this vainly, I say it
because I know it is true. But
I also know, having done it
my way, that there are huge
advantages to doing cancer
alone.
I think it’s primary to my
story that I have not had a
partner; I have not had any
advocate or family with me.
I could not have wanted for
better friends who, in true
Irish fashion, exhausted me,
if anything, with their
coming and coming to visit,
bearing flowers, grapes and
gifts.
U2 manager, Paul
McGuinness let me stay in his
house during my treatment
and his wife, one of my best
friends, arrived the morning
of my mastectomy and did
not leave until I woke.
But ultimately, I have not
had the pressure of someone
else’s angst relating to my
illness and that has been
i c o n
8
L I V I N G
beneficial. I did not have
somebody making this a
tragedy I did not feel it was.
I
could put my skates on
and do whatever was
necessary at the very
moment it seemed so,
without asking anyone ‘Are
you ready to go? Will your
job allow you time today?’
Thirdly I never had to catch
anyone looking at me with
sorrow.
P R O O F
As for my mastectomy – it
was easy peasy. Having total
trust in my 39 year old
surgeon, I never felt adrift
with my disease. My self
never stopped operating.
Almost immediately I came
out of surgery I was walking
round feeling great. Apart
from the cumbersomeness of
two drains, there was no
problem.
I had no trouble with my six
months chemo or my 25 days
of radiotherapy, though the
steroids I had along with
chemo drugs Adriamycin and
taxol made me gain a lot of
weight.
B
ut I really was neither
sick nor tired during
treatment: I totally
had a life. Except
that, come day nine or 10
post surgery, when I was
supposed to be discharged, I
got really sick. I didn’t
discover until I moved to a
different hospital – Black
Rock – that my wound had
been infected with MRSA.
Some people fight this
staphylococcus aureus for
months so I was really lucky
to get rid of it in three
weeks.
But they fill you up with
designer antibiotics to fight
this systemic infection. I was
so weak I couldn’t even drink
water. I was a mess for about
a month and even though I
didn’t feel sick
psychologically, when I went
home for Christmas, I would
hear my footsteps drag
across the floor and think,
‘Listen to the state of you!’
I wouldn’t necessarily
recommend my way of doing
cancer to other women. It’s
very personal and stems
largely from my three
professions - as singer,
actress and writer.
They are all very internal, so
I feel I know myself in an
unusual way and know my
body well enough to
respond to what its needs
were under the
circumstances of disease.
Before breast cancer, I was
never into traditional
medicine. I’ve always been
into homeopathy and
naturopathy – if there was
some way not to take a pill, I
would go that route.
B
ut with the cancer I
decided immediately
to go the
conventional route
that kept Alan alive and was
therefore proven to me be
the safest.
I’ve gone the opposite of
complementary: I was
vegetarian before but I now
eat a bit of meat. I’ve
stopped exercising, feeling
that one’s body is under a lot
of pressure, so to go out
walking to keep your figure
– that’s nuts. I’m not sitting
here eating chocolates, but I
am being extremely,
cautiously kind to my body
and listening to myself. If I
get up in the night and think
I need a lamb chop, I’ll have
one. I’ve stopped taking my
P R O O F
i c o n
9
Photos by Derek Spiers
L I V I N G
daily kelp, vitamin C and
magnesium, because I
thought ‘just eat well.
Don’t put any more things in
that body than all the stuff
the medical profession is
putting in.’ As for organic
eating, I grew a vegetable
garden in France and saw
how properly organic
produce behaved when
grown from good seed. If
you haven’t eaten a carrot
16 hours after pulling it from
the ground, it droops, it
flops and wants its mother.
S
o how can
supermarket veg,
however labelled, be
properly organic when
it will sit for a week, bright
orange in the fridge, before
it’s gone?
Sometimes you feel guilty
when you refuse
professional advice, as I did
when they suggested
putting a portal in my arm
to make delivery of the
chemo easier. You wonder if
you are putting yourself at
risk or simply using your
commonsense.
But after MRSA I figured I
didn’t want something
foreign in my body that
made me more susceptible
to infection. I also chose to
use cocoa butter on my
radiotherapy site instead of
the cream they suggested.
I tried not to take the Pill,
and I never took HRT though
friends thought me crazy to
go through the menopause
without it.
So although I take Herceptin,
which is the newly
acclaimed, still quite
experimental breast cancer
drug, I wasn’t going to take
Tamoxifen as suggested for
five years after breast cancer.
I didn’t want any hormonal
adjustment. As part of the
TV documentary I met a
specialist at the Charing
Cross Hospital who felt that I
definitely should have done
the Tamoxifen. But you
know what? It’s my life and
I’ve made my choice. I’ll pay
for it if it’s wrong, and if it’s
right I won’t.
At times during the past
months, I’ve had to weigh
up whether I’m being
obstinate and ridiculous or
whether I really understand
my own body. I realised early
on in my cancer journey that
I seemed to have a totally
different attitude from other
people about cancer and
dying, losing my hair and my
breast.
Before I ever went into
hospital anyone I talked to
looked at me bewailing ‘Oh
my God, my God’ to which I
replied, ‘Hey, let’s not panic,
I’m not dead yet and let me
just get the surgery and do
the best I can do. And if I’m
going to lose my hair let’s
figure out a nice way to do
that. It’s only my hair –
what’s the big deal?’
The deal was that they saw
my persona in my hair and
my sexuality in my hair and
my breast.
But this is not the case. Some
of the most beautiful people
I know are 89, with spirit
and experience that shines
far more than surface
beauty.
I
feel partly responsible for
the notion that one’s
breasts are the essence of
one’s sexuality, because in
the sixties we were all
throwing our clothes off.
I was a promoter of the
‘body liberated’ notion –
that it’s your right to let it all
hang out.
40 years on it seems that
concept has escalated into
something sick – it’s as if the
medical profession has
turned into a retail industry
where tits are concerned. If
you have a mastectomy they
encourage reconstruction.
i c o n
1 0
L I V I N G
But you know what? My
breasts are not my sexuality
and never were. Yes, I took
my clothes off and there was
some element of allure in
nudity. But that did not
define me. I have no
question that were I to
engage in a proper
relationship I would be no
less the person I was before
my breast was removed.
The day my doctor told me it
was going, I said ‘These
breasts have seen some good
years and now the one on
the right is going to retire.
She has served her time. The
girl can go.’ Offered
reconstruction I said
‘Absolutely not!’ I had no
problem with it then, I have
no problem now and I swear
to you I don’t think I’m
being brave.
T
hat said, the thought
that hit me hardest
once I got my
diagnosis was what
P R O O F
my granddaughter was
going to say when she saw
me bald. Mazie is three and
has always liked my really
long hair. To stop it seeming
a sad event, I organised a
hair-cutting party at Karis’
house in LA, where all my
friends braided my hair and
everybody including Mazie
and her little friends, got to
cut a braid.
I
t was such fun and my
head was then shaved
while everyone watched.
The whole event became
a big celebration, with
clapping and hooraying. I
became bald in the presence
of so many people
exclaiming Oh, we love it!
Doesn’t it look nice!’ that
there was never a moment
later, when I felt selfconscious about presenting
myself to others.
Mazie herself pronounced
‘I think Grammy looks better
bald.’
C
oming out of
hospital, I’d say to
other women, look
your very best every
day. Not for other people,
but for yourself. I see this as
part of my therapy as I must
be 25 lbs heavier than
normal from the steroids.
I’ve bought new clothes and
I have had to rethink my
look and my poise to take
account of the extra weight,
one breast and no hair.
Thinking about the possible
cause of my cancer, I do
wonder if we all have the
potential to have it. But I’ve
heard so many people who
do get it talk of some
traumatic experience in the
recent past that goes beyond
just a little distress.
It seems to be trauma that’s
a real silencer – something
that internalises your grief
and pain in a way that is
intrinsically damaging and
leaves you wide open to
disease. Without detailing
mine, I can definitely say
that I had such a trauma
about 18 months before
cancer manifested.
But the journey I’ve been
through hasn’t made me feel
a victim. It’s part of my life
and if it’s the part that takes
me out of here, then at least
I’ve made my own choices
along the way.
Cancer has brought shared
healing to my family because
it has bound us together as a
unit: my sister and I who
would speak on birthdays
and holidays now speak
twice a week.
My brother now calls every
week.
C
ancer has been good
to me because I have
discovered things
about myself and the
kindness of others that I
would not have missed.”
BREAST CANCER - THE LATEST FACTS
41,000 new cases of breast cancer are detected every year in
the UK, amounting to one in three of all cancers affecting
women. The lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is one
in nine, though 80 per cent of cases affect post-menopausal
women. The good news is that the death rate from breast
cancer has fallen by one third over the past decade and nine
out of 10 lumps prove non-malignant.
remainder continued to take. Those taking Arimidex were 40
per cent less likely to relapse. Breakthrough Breast Cancer is
urging NICE to make Arimidex swiftly available on the NHS,
but this could take another 15 months as Arimidex (costing
£780 per women per year) is more than 10 times as expensive
as tamoxifen. Let’s hope NICE recognise Arimidex as long
term value for money –and lives.
S
Watch out also for further news of GW5638, a tamoxifen-like
drug in development from The University of Chicago and
GlaxoSmithKline. A powerful oestrogen antagonist in breast
tissue, it can inhibit the growth of breast cancers already
resistant to tamoxifen. It could also overtake tamoxifen as a
preventative drug for high-risk women.
moking, the PILL and HRT all increase the risk of breast
cancer as does dairy consumption. Avoid the oestrogen
mimics in anti-perspirants, nail varnish and some newer
perfumes. Help your body to offload toxins by losing surplus
weight. Daily fish oils should boost your protection: women
with the highest levels of omega 3 do not develop breast
cancer. Garlic and selenium are also safeguard supplements.
Women at risk of inherited forms of breast cancer may
benefit from a breakthrough at the Institute of Cancer
Research, London, where a fine-targeted drug to inhibit the
tumour-growth enzyme PARP is soon to begin human testing.
Make room for a rival: soy. Seaweed in the diet is now being
considered as the reason Japanese women have longer
menstrual cycles and lower levels of the hormone oestradiol,
contributing to lower levels of breast cancer. Brown seaweed,
comprises 10 per cent of the Japanese diet, and research on
rats, fed a daily dose of kelp, suggest that its anti-oestrogen
properties could help treat hormone-dependent breast
cancers.
T
Arimidex, also known as anastrazole is hailed as the next
great breakthrough drug, more effective than tamoxifen at
preventing recurrences in older women, if prescribed
immediately post-surgery. Anastrazole stops the production
of oestrogen from the adrenal glands, where it continues
after the ovaries cease manufacture with the menopause. A
trial of 3000 women at Vienna Medical university switched
half to Arimidex after two years on tamoxifen., which the
Herceptin (trastuzumab) (as taken by Marsha Hunt) is a
monoclonal antibody drug which operates from the immune
system, seeking out abnormal molecules on cancer cell
surfaces and destroying them. It’s early days, but a US
conference has just reported very promising results for the
use of Herceptin in early-stage breast cancer, immediately
after surgery,
argit is an innovative and streamlined way of giving
radiotherapy to women with early-stage cancer,
inserting an applicator with radioactive source directly
into the breast as the patient’s tumour is removed. Daily visits
to hospital for radiation "zapping" could then be redundant.
Q U E S T I O N S
Q
A
I have breast cancer, and have been diagnosed with
bone metastases. I have a fairly painful area in my
hip, but am otherwise 0K. The doctors have
suggested radiotherapy, but having heard of the side
effects, I am keen to follow natural approaches. What would
you recommend?
Actually, when it comes to bone metastases, I would
highly recommend the orthodox options, particularly
when it comes to pain control. There are two main
aims when someone develops bone metastases. The
first is to control the pain and I have never seen
anything in the complementary field that has any effect on
this. Radiotherapy, on the other hand, is excellent for
achieving this, and can usually be given in one dose, rather
than a prolonged course. Anti-inflammatories and
acupuncture can also be helpful. Pain from bone metastases
can be severe, and seriously effect quality of life, so the
sooner it is tackled the better.
The second aim is to preserve the integrity of the bone, and
prevent the density diminishing which can lead to fractures.
The orthodox approach is to use biphosphonates, which have
proven themselves very effective at preventing breakdown of
bone, and also bring some pain relief.
This can be given either orally, or as a regular intravenous
treatment. Some of the latest research shows that the earlier
it is used, the better the prevention. Also, zoledronic acid is
looking to be very effective.
On the complementary side, there has been little effect.
There is a strontium supplement, which has recently been
shown to be effective against osteoporosis, though research
has yet to be done for bone metastases. There is hope this
will be useful as strontium is used to treat bone pain as an
injection (unfortunately only in prostate cancer at the
moment though).
On the dietary side, recent studies have shown that a
combination of watercress, chives and rocket are more
effective than the currently used anti-osteoporosis drug
(Miacalcin, a calcitonin extract from salmon) at preventing
bone breakdown. But I don’t anticipate that complementary
medicine can achieve much for you with this particular
problem.
Q
A
I heard recently about a scanner for diagnosing
suspicious moles, as an alternative to having to
have them removed. Do you know where this is
available?
Yes indeed, this does look like an ideal development,
preferable to taking off every suspicious area and
having it analysed.
It is a hand-held scanner, which is placed in contact
with the skin, and directs separate impulses of infrared, red,
green and blue light at it. Blood, the dark skin pigment
melanin, and the skin protein collagen all absorb and reflect
different wavelengths of light in different ways, and this is
analysed by computers. Diagnosis is based on interpreting
the distribution of the substances in the skin.
The company claims imaging technique increases diagnostic
accuracy from 70 to 90%. NHS machines are available at:
Addenbrooks, Bedford, Norfolk and Norwich and Solihull.
You do need a need a GP referral for this.
Private clinics are at; Anecla Central London, Burghley Park
Clinic, Swindon, Lifescan UK Guildford. Cost £200.00.
&
A N S W E R S
i c o n
1 1
Ask nurse Patricia
PATRICIA WITH
HER BABY SON
ALEXANDER GEORGE
(SEE PAGE 5)
Patricia Peat is a registered nurse. Following years of
experience in oncology, combined with research into natural
approaches to cancer she now runs Cancer Options.
Cancer Options is a specialised team of practitioners who
provide individual consultancy and coaching into treatment
and making decisions for all approaches to cancer.
Details of their services are available on:
www.canceroptions.co.uk or by calling 0845 009 2041
Q
A
I have heard that PSA is not a reliable tumour marker
for prostate cancer, which has me worried. How
much should one rely on tumour markers and can
they mislead you into making the wrong decisions?
There is no simple answer to this; it is a wide and
complex issue. PSA has been used for many years for
both detection and management of prostate cancer
and in the vast majority of cases will provide a
reasonable guide to what is happening. But at times
it is inaccurate and that really reflects how cancer cells behave
as they develop and what elements they excrete to survive in
their environment. So PSA may be an accurate guide for
someone initially but become less so as time goes on.
Your oncologist will be aware of this and will be skilled in
adapting the assessment to look at the wiser picture. It is
often the underlying trend of the marker measured over a
period of time which gives a clearer picture than small rises
or falls in measurement.
New and more reliable markers are being discovered all the
time and it should not be long before PSA is replaced. There
are many tumours for which reliable markers have yet to be
discovered but that will also change.
Due to the nature of cancer, we are unlikely ever to achieve
100% reliability. The majority of doctors will include analysis
of tumour markers into the overall picture, including scans,
x-rays and how the person is feeling, and it is always best to
view them as a guide rather than an absolute.
For an update on the latest prostate cancer treatments, turn
to Page 16
Patricia Peat can be contacted on 01623 438733
www.canceroptions.co.uk,
or write to her at Ask Nurse Patricia, i c o n ,
The Elms, Radclive Road, Gawcott, Buckingham, MK18 4JB
or Email her on [email protected]
i c o n
1 2
L E T ’ S
B E
C O M P L E M E N T A R Y
M
ost of us have
experienced the positive
effects of a hot bath on
aching muscles, or the
balm of holiday sun on an English
winter body. Heat just feels good.
Everyday Heat
We use heat for healing in many ways –
for instance a hot water bottle on the
tummy for period pains or a
microwave-heated wheat-pack on stiff
and aching neck muscles. From time
immemorial we have benefited from
sweating – from Turkish baths to the
saunas in modern spas. The Egyptians
treated tumours with heat back in
5,000 BC, and the principles of tumourheating are now widely understood –
that heat stimulates the tissue
temperature, causing the body to react
by dilating blood vessels, so that tissues
get revitalised due to the improved
circulation. One of the main principles
of traditional Chinese medicine is that
good circulation promotes health.
SOME LIKE IT HOT
DIY Treatments
There is a whole spectrum of treatments
using heat that can be applied to cancer.
At one end of the scale there are the
kinds of things that can be done oneself
such as saunas to increase blood flow
and detoxification. These are
recommended in the Gerson therapy,
for example. London integrated cancer
specialist, Dr Etienne Callebout, also
recommends DIY practices that can be
beneficial – such as treatments
involving very hot footbaths and
alternating hot and cold pads on the
back of the neck, or using an infrared
lamp on tumour sites. Callebout also
recommends using far infrared saunas,
the principle of which is to increase
blood flow and immune system activity
generally. These are items that can be
bought on the internet from the US for
around $500 and used at home. The
ceramic heaters emit infrared heat in
the same range as the human body,
making it easier to absorb. Easier
absorption also means that the infrared
heat penetrates deeper into body
tissues than traditional hot air saunas up to an inch-and-a-half. This allows for
greater circulation and detoxification –
both good for people with cancer.
According to one manufacturer, “One
session in a good quality radiant heat
sauna will burn as many calories as you
would rowing or jogging for 30
minutes - up to 600 or more. Infrared
or radiant heat warms your body directly and provides a healthy purifying
sweat at much lower temperatures
than standard steam saunas. Infrared
saunas provide a highly enjoyable
sauna environment at temperatures as
low as 100F with fresh air continually
circulating through its ventilation so
you can still breathe normally and
without the discomfort which is the
case with the hot, steamy saunas found
in some homes and at health spas.”
I
nfrared light is the lower range of
the light spectrum, not visible to the
eye, which generates warmth on
sunny days. The wavelength of
infrared waves ranges from 0.76
microns to 1,000 microns, with far
infrared rays occupying the higher
range. Their key attributes are the ability to radiate out from a localised spot
and, unlike visible light, they can penetrate deeply into the skin and underlying tissues. They naturally generate
heat by causing the body’s molecules to
rapidly vibrate against each other.
Helpful though these treatments may
be, they will not impact on the tumour
directly, unless it is, for example, a very
superficial skin cancer, but they can
assist with improving circulation and
immune system response.
Advanced treatments
Way up at the other end of the scale is
medically-supervised whole-body and
localised hyperthermia. A much bigger
gun altogether.
In the last issue of i c o n , we looked at
Dr Holt’s pioneering work in Australia
which combines using radio waves with
glucose-blocking agents like
glutathione and cysteine which the
cancer cell absorbs. The heat produced
by the radio waves encourages their
uptake and the cancer cell dies.
Another variation, also covered in the
last issue of i c o n , was the application
of High Intensity Focussed Ultrasound
(HIFU) in the treatment of prostate
cancer. An endorectal probe applies
HIFU to the affected tissue and heats it
to temperatures up to 100 degrees,
liquefying the tumour cells. The
treatment, called Ablatherm, lasts
about an hour and a half and only
requires a brief hospital stay.
T
here are also more generalised
treatments of whole-body and
external localised hyperthermia.
These are used more extensively in
Germany than in the UK or America, possibly due to the more lenient
regulatory environment there and
Germany’s long association with natural
healing.
There are a number of German clinics
such as those operated by Drs Herzog
and Douwes who practice the use of
hyperthermia as an adjunct to other
cancer treatments. There is now
mounting evidence that hyperthermia
allows very high doses of chemotherapy
to be administered more successfully
and sometimes without significant
side-effects.
L E T ’ S
B E
C O M P L E M E N T A R Y
oxygen cells, oxygenating them and so
making them more susceptible to
radiation damage.
Localised treatment involves the use of
fine sensors, and directed applicators
and tumours are heated using
microwaves and radio frequencies.
Hypothermia
The use
of heat in
cancer treatment
BY Ginny Fraser
What does treatment consist of?
Generally speaking, whole-body
hyperthermia induces a fever. Patients
lie naked in a structure that is like a
small tent, where they are closely
monitored. The idea is that the body is
heated to extremely high temperatures
– between 107 and 113 degrees F – not
exactly a pleasant sensation, so patients
are generally sedated so they can
tolerate the heat.
T
he principle is that cancer cells
react more sensitively to the
effects of excessive heat than
normal cells. Also, tumours
have an impaired ability to adapt their
blood circulation to the effects of high
temperatures and thus hyperthermia
can cause a reduction of blood flow to
a tumour. In addition, heat at this level
pushes cancer cells toward acidosis
(decreased cellular pH) which decreases
the cells’ viability and ability to spread.
It also activates the immune system,
causing both increased production of
interferon alpha, and increased
immune surveillance.
Tumour masses tend to have oxygen
deprived (hypoxic) cells within the inner
part of the tumour. These cells are
resistant to radiation, but they are very
sensitive to heat. This is why
hyperthermia is an ideal companion
treatment to radiation. Radiation kills
the oxygenated outer cells, while
hyperthermia acts on the inner low
Combination therapies
The success of the treatment on its own
is not significant, but it has been used
most successfully in conjunction with
other treatments. There is evidence
that it can be successful. In March 2000,
the respected medical journal, The
Lancet published the results of a six
year cancer study comparing the
effectiveness of hyperthermia and
radiation with radiation treatments
alone. The trials reported are a
randomised, Phase III study performed
on 358 patients with cancer. Although
the study showed promise for the
treatment of advanced cervical, bladder
and colorectal cancer, the most
remarkable results were obtained with
advanced cervical cancer. Complete
disappearance of the tumour was
obtained in 83% of those who received
the combined treatment, compared to
57% who were treated with radiation
alone. In addition, the three-year
survival rate for those who received the
combined treatments nearly doubled
(improved 89%), compared with those
who just received radiation. The study
was well-received in the Netherlands,
where it was conducted and the
treatment has received government
approval. The other advantage noted
in the report was the fact that there
was none of the nausea often
experienced with radiation, and
hospitalisation was not required.
Other evidence of its success as a
combination treatment was another
Lancet article in October 2001 by Prof
Rolf Issels, a well-known German
practitioner, who obtained remarkable
5-year survival improvements in 59
cancer patients with soft-tissue
sarcomas. Conventional surgery
followed by radiation generally
produces a 5-year survival rate of
15-35% for this particular form of
cancer. The Issels team combined
hyperthermia with chemotherapy and
showed that 36 patients were
disease-free at the end of treatment,
and that 5-year survival rate was 49%.
The Lancet reports that in an overall
look at studies in USA and Europe, that
response rates for chemo and
hyperthermia combined are 70%,
whilst hyperthermia alone gives a
response rate of 15% and radiotherapy
alone about 35%.
i c o n
1 3
What seems to be the case is that
hyperthermia overcomes tumour
resistance to chemo and radiation; that
it can help the performance of some
chemo agents and that it helps destroy
cancer cells in especially resistant phases
of cell division. Issels also suggested
that hyperthermia induces heat-shock
proteins on the surface of the tumour,
“tagging” them to be zapped by the
patient’s own immune system.
Where to go
Patients in Britain encouraged by these
findings may be disappointed to hear
that hyperthermia isn’t readily available
at their local hospital. There are,
however, a couple of alternatives to
making the trip to Germany. Dr Fritz
Schellander of the Liongate Clinic in
Tunbridge Wells employs a range of
complementary therapies, of which
whole body and localised hyperthermia
is one. Although his clinic does not
have the facility to offer chemo, it is
used as a pre-treatment for patients
receiving continuous chemotherapy. In
fact, one of his patients was featured in
the Living Proof section of i c o n . Hazel
Scade abandoned conventional
treatment for breast cancer in favour of
a less-invasive route. In addition to
many nutritional therapies she
experienced some localised hyperthermia, and wrote about her experience in
the July 2003 issue. She quoted a Dr TK
Hei of the Columbia University College
of Physicians who stated,
“Hyperthermia is the only agent to
treat cancer that does not itself appear
to be oncogenic (cancer-inducing).”
Five years on Hazel is alive and well.
D
r Clare Vernon of the
Hammersmith Hospital is another
enthusiast, quoted in The Lancet
as saying, “I think every major
cancer centre should have a hyperthermia unit.” Hyperthermia was used at
the hospital for around 25 years, but it is
not currently available for a variety of
reasons, none to do with its efficacy. Dr
Vernon says, “Hyperthermia is very
effective even when other
treatments have failed. It’s also relatively
cheap and well tolerated.”
Dr Vernon now refers patients to the
Daniel den Hoed Cancer Centre, part of
the University Hospital in Rotterdam,
who have a large team devoted to the
treatment and an increasing number of
referrals. They say, “We are convinced
that the increased patient referral by
radiation and medical oncology reflects
their confidence in the value of
hyperthermia as a standard treatment
for advanced cancer.”
Isn’t it time the heat was switched
back on in England?
i c o n
1 4
T H E
F O O D
D O C T O R
Juicing for
Health & Healing
THE FOOD
DOCTOR
Barbara Cox is passionate about
food and the benefits people get
from eating a healthy, wellbalanced diet. During her eight
year stay in Japan, she was inspired
by the fact that the Japanese have
lower rates of cancer, heart disease
and obesity than people in the UK,
primarily because of their diet.
After returning to England,
Barbara set up her own company,
Nutrichef, which delivers a
healthy breakfast, lunch and
dinner every day to customers’
homes. As well as being an expert
on healthy food, Barbara is a keen
fan of drinking healthy juices. In
this article she discusses the subject
of juicing.
M
ore and more of us
understand the importance
of eating a diet rich in fruit
and vegetables, but if you’d
like to try an alternative way of getting
your vitamins and minerals, why not try
juicing? Are you aware of the wonders
of juicing and the health benefits you
can receive from it? There are lots of
fantastic recipes and creations that you
can put together to suit all tastes, and
you can even get the kids involved too!
Here are ten very good reasons to try
juicing…
Stock up on enzymes
Juices are very rich in enzymes that
help digest your food. A shortage of
enzymes means we cannot convert
T H E
foods into energy or transform
carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins
and minerals into what we need for
healthy tissue such as muscle, bone,
skin, and so on.
Load up on essential nutrients
Vitamins and minerals are essential for
good health. Vitamins fall in to two
categories, water-soluble (Vitamin B &
C) and fat-soluble (Vitamins A, D & E.)
Many factors affect our vitamin status
including inadequate diet, digestion
problems, over-cooking, canned and
processed foods, storage and
irradiation. Fresh juicing supplies the
vitamins and minerals we need in
abundance.
This is a popular centrifungal juicer
with a powerful, efficient motor and
pulp ejection, great for people just
starting to use a juicer. A centrifungal
juicer doesn’t give juice a shelf life,
which basically means that all juices
must be consumed immediately. Juices
will also be less nutrient-rich when
using this type of juicer. Marks out of
ten = 5
Juices are filling yet low in calories.
They help curb the appetite and are,
therefore, an important part of many
weight loss programmes.
Enjoy all the tastes!
Be creative and try some of the recipes
below. They all taste great and will
awaken your taste-buds…….so why not
get juicing right now?
Here are some fantastic recipes to
get you started. Set your taste
buds free…
1 carrot (unpeeled, topped & tailed) 1
red apple (Gala or Cox) 1 beetroot
(skinned and washed but with the roots
& tops on).
This juice will be high in Vitamin A, C,
calcium, magnesium, potassium and
iron.
Chlorophyll can be found in abundance
in all green plants. It cleanses your
digestive system and builds blood cells
– making it an all-round great tonic.
Alfalfa, wheatgrass, watercress and
leafy greens are all high in chlorophyll
and are fantastic in juices.
Reduce your risk
of premature disease
This can be aided by the antioxidants
contained in juices. Beauty, like health,
comes from within so what we eat
plays a vital role. Antioxidants are
thought to be the secret to living
longer and looking younger as they
mop up harmful molecules known as
free-radicals.
Get your essential amino acids
These are the building blocks of protein
and are vital in the process of digestion
and assimilation of food. Fresh raw
juices are rich in amino acids and are in
an easily digestible form.
Balance acid/alkaline levels
Western diets tend to be high in animal
protein, refined sugar, artificial
additives and drugs. All of these cause
acidity in the cells, which, in turn, can
lead to disease. It is well documented
1 5
Aid weight reduction
1. Apple, Carrot & Beetroot
Get plenty of chlorophyll
i c o n
JUICERS TRIED & TESTED
1. L’Equip 110.5 Mini Pulp Ejector (£99)
Juicing produces a high vitality “food”
that’s very nourishing and revitalising
to the cells. Dr Max Gerson, founder of
the Institute for Cancer Treatments,
found that his patients tended to
recover from degenerative illnesses
more quickly when put on a diet made
largely from fresh raw juices.
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are a
must for all detox diets. Some juices
have the ability to rid the body of
waste and bacteria, and to
deep-cleanse the body.
D O C T O R
that cancer cells thrive in an acidic
environment.
Boost your vitality
Eliminate toxins
F O O D
2. Lemonade
1 wedge lemon (unwaxed) 2-3 golden
delicious apples. Juice and serve over
crushed ice.
This will be a good cleanser and the
lemons will have an alkalising effect
3. Popeye Special
1 apple, 1 stick of celery (with the
leaves) 3ozs spinach (fresh young
leaves) 1 small bunch watercress, 1
small bunch of wheatgrass (if desired)
This will be rich in Vitamins A, C, folic
acid and Riboflavin (B2)
4. Red Delight
4 large tomatoes, 1 carrot (topped &
tailed) 1 stick of celery (with the
leaves), 1 handful of basil.
Add the juice of half a squeezed lemon
at the end.
This juice will be rich in iron,
magnesium & lycopene.
5. True Blue
4ozs blueberries, 1 mango (peeled &
stoned) 1 pear, 4ozs red grapes.
This juice will be high in antioxidants
and chase away the blues!
So now you know the benefits you will
receive from juicing and some ideas of
what to put in your juice, but have you
thought about which is the best juicer
to buy?
At Nutrichef we have tried and tested
numerous makes and models and here
are the results…
2. L’Equip Model 509 Visor Natural
Food Procesor (£179)
This juicer is good for vegetables and
wheatgrass and also has many food
processing functions. It is a masticating
juicer which means that absolutely
everything is pulped from the fruit and
vegetables you put in it! Juices are
therefore richer in nutrients and will
have a shelf-life of 24 hours. 9/10
3. Champion Juicer (£249)
This is a Masticating Juicer and tends to
be the most reliable out of those that
we tested. This juicer does everything
and is good value for money. 10/10
4. Twin Healthy Living
Juice Extractor (£375)
An innovative twin gear juicer with
heavy duty stainless steel gears. It is a
masticating juicer which is also suitable
for wheatgrass. 10/10
5. Green Star Gold Juicer (£450)
A new, top of the range twin gear
juicer which is reliable and sturdy and a
good all-rounder. This would receive
ten out of ten but has been marked
down as it is fairly pricey. 9/10
6. Z-Star Juicer (£89)
This is a perfectly acceptable budget,
manual juicer, which can be transported
fairly easily. It can be used for
wheatgrass and leafy greens, but it can
be fairly time consuming for apples and
carrots. 7/10
So, not only will you start to feel great
once you start juicing, but another
benefit is that you can also dispose of
the pulp on the compost….so now
there are no excuses - you can start
composting too!
Juicers, Sprouters, and wheat- and
dairy-free healthy snacks can all be
ordered from Nutrichef along with
many tips and recipes on healthy
eating. You can either visit our website
www.nutrichef.co.uk or call us on
01202 748400 for further information.
Don’t miss the next edition of i c o n as
The Food Doctor will be giving useful
tips and advice on Sprouting.
i c o n
1 6
S P E C I A L
R E P O R T
PROSTATE CANCER DRUGS
The truth
REPORT BY MELANIE HART
Dr Robert Huddart
S P E C I A L
I
f you, or someone close to you, has been diagnosed
with prostate cancer, the next stage can be very
confusing. Your oncologist may start you on
hormone therapy, either before or after surgery or
radiotherapy - or as your sole treatment. There are
several kinds of hormonal therapy, as well as other
drugs that you will hear mentioned in the course of
treatment. There are also clinical trials underway here,
and in the States, on several new ones - and on new
uses for existing drugs.
So read on to find out the uses, proven benefits and
risks of the main prostate cancer drugs used in the UK
today, with expert commentary from Dr Robert
Huddart, senior lecturer and honorary consultant in
radiotherapy and oncology at The Institute of Cancer
Research and the Royal Marsden. Dr Huddart works in
a unit which specialises in the research and
management of prostate cancer and is part of the
South of England Prostate Cancer Collaborative.
Radical surgery (prostatectom
HORMONE THERAPY
LHRH-AGONISTS
These stop the testes making testosterone. They will only
make testosterone if switched on by leuteinising hormone
(LH), which is released by the pituitary gland. LHRH-agonists
reduce the production of leuteinising hormone, causing the
levels of testosterone to fall. This can result in shrinkage or
slowing down of the growth of the cancer. There may be a
brief increase in testosterone levels and other symptoms,
(flare), in the first few days or weeks of starting treatment.
Zoladex (goserelin) made by AstraZeneca
A pellet given by injection, in a relatively big needle, once a
month, or once every three months.
Side effects may include: hot flushes, mood swings,
impotence, breast tenderness, fatigue, weight gain, pain in
muscles and joints, nausea, vomiting and mild diarrhoea.
Long-term risk: osteoporosis.
Dr Robert Huddart, “The acceleration of bone loss tends to
be less of a problem in men, than in the women who take
Zoladex for breast cancer, because men normally have a
higher base line level. Zoladex would be my first choice
treatment, because the majority of men have minimal side
effects, enjoy a good quality of life and their cancer is
controlled extremely well. Over 90% of men with prostate
cancer would expect to see a major fall in their PSA.
It is used as the sole treatment for men with advanced
prostate cancer, or in some older men who have more
localised disease where you may not want to treat with
radiotherapy or surgery.
Prostap (Leuprorelin) made by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
This is a liquid that needs to be made up by the doctor and
given by injection. Men on Warfarin may be given this,
rather than Zoladex, which may make them bleed more
with a bigger needle.
Possible side effects: as with Zoladex. Also peripheral
oedema, swelling, fluid retention and occasional breathless
sensation.
Dr Huddart, “Prostap is identical to Zoladex - it’s just a different preparation.”
Triptorelin (De-capeptyl SR) made by Ipsen
Possible side effects: as with previous two.
Dr Huddart, “I’ve not actually used it, because it hasn’t been
widely available until recently and would have exactly the
R E P O R T
i c o n
1 7
same side effects as the other drugs. I’m not aware of any
benefits over the other two, but I’ve no reason to think it
would be less successful.”
ANTI-ANDROGENS
These work by attaching themselves to proteins (receptors)
on the surface of the cancer cells to stop the testosterone
from entering. Men given hormone therapy injections will
usually be given anti-androgens to avoid the effects of
“tumour flare”, connected with the first dose of treatment.
The tablets are given three days to a week before injections,
and for about two weeks afterwards.
STEROIDAL ANTI-ANDROGENS
Cyprostat (Cyproterone Acetate) made by Schering
Health Care
Possible side effects may include: fatigue, low mood,
breast tenderness and fullness, osteoporosis, shortness of
breath, liver disorders, risk of thromboembolism, nausea,
diarrhoea, reduced volume of ejaculation and decreased
sperm count.
Dr Huddart, “The volume of ejaculation and decreased
sperm count are what you expect from any hormone
treatment. Liver dysfunction is one to worry about with
long-term treatment, and you probably shouldn’t give it to
someone with a history of heart disease or blood clots. This
is the oldest and cheapest anti-androgen and, despite having
the most side effects, it would be my first choice as a
short-term treatment to reduce flare. I would use the two
drugs below for long-term treatment.
NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-ANDROGENS
These drugs can be used as a combination treatment with
one of the LHRH-agonists in a treatment called complete
(combined), or maximal androgen blockade, CAB or MAB.
It blocks the testosterone produced from the testicles, and
the 5% or so that’s produced by the adrenal glands and
other parts of the body. You would use slightly lower doses
in CAB.
Another way of using these drugs is to use an LHRH-agonist,
and if that treatment starts failing, then do the combined
treatment.
Flutamide (Chimax, Drogenil) made by
Schering Health Care
This is a tablet, taken three times a day with the other
hormone therapy injection, as above.
Possible side effects: decreased sperm count and volume
of ejaculation, diarrhoea, nausea, tiredness, risk of liver
dysfunction and occasionally blurred vision.
Dr Huddart, “If somone has liver or bowel problems I would
give them Bicalutamide instead. Some people advocate
using the combined treatment, CAB or MAB, as the primary
treatment. There’s a lot of debate on whether starting off
using both together has an advantage over just using an
LHRH-agonist on its own. There have been lots of trials on
this and if there is a difference, it’s very small. I prefer to do
the treatments sequentially, starting with the anti-androgens.
That way you don’t have all the extra side effects of the two
sets of drugs to deal with, and the treatment is not as
expensive.”
Bicalutamide (Casodex) made by AstraZeneca
This tablet is taken just once a day, with a hormone therapy
injection, or it can be used on its own to treat prostate
i c o n
1 8
S P E C I A L
R E P O R T
cancer that has begun to spread into the tissues outside the
prostate gland (locally advanced). It is no longer
recommended for early prostate cancer (contained within the
prostate gland) after a trial suggested a possible increased
risk of heart attacks.
Possible side effects: decreased sperm count etc as above,
breast tenderness and enlargement, hot flushes, mild itching
and dryness of skin, nausea, vomiting and mild diarrhoea,
drowsiness and occasionally blood in the urine.
Dr Huddart,” I think people tend to use this drug because
it’s a simple once-a-day tablet and probably has fewer side
effects.
Bicalutamide can be used as a sole treatment, using a tablet
with three times the dose of the one in CAB. It is usually
used with advanced, but non-metastatic cancer, as there is
some evidence that it is not as effective once the cancer has
spread to the bone. This has the advantage over a
LHRH-agonist of causing less of the hot flushes, fatigue, and
probably less bone loss. About 30-50% of men will retain
sexual activity on this drug, so it is particularly favoured
by those who feel that is an important part of their lives.
This is actually a surprisingly small number because the
disadvantage of Bicalutamide is that it tends to cause breast
enlargement in 80% of men using it as a single treatment.
This can be painful and needs additional treatment, using a
low dose of Tamoxifen or a short course of radiotherapy to
the breast. So when given the choice, a lot of men would
rather lose sexual activity than get bigger breasts.”
OESTROGENS
Stilboestrol (DES, Diethylstilbestrol)
A synthetic oestrogen, given in tablet form, for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. By increasing the level of
the female hormone, oestrogen, the production of
testosterone is “switched off”. This reduced level of
testosterone can help slow down the growth of the cancer
cells and may cause the cancer to shrink in size.
Possible side effects may include: blood clotting
(thrombosis), fluid retention, breast tenderness or
enlargement, lowering of libido and impotence, tiredness,
nausea, mood swings and weight gain.
Dr Huddart, “This drug was used as a first choice treatment
because it had great success, but there were two main
problems: the 5-10% risk of blood clots and breast
enlargement. It went out of favour, but a lot of people are
using it again because they realise it has activity you don’t
see with other treatments – even men resistant to other
standard hormone treatments (ie, the cancer has started
growing again) will often respond to Stilboestrol. It will at
least halve the PSA for the four weeks of treatment in
30-50% of men.
It is given in much lower doses now, 1-3mgs, as opposed to
the 5-10mgs given in the 60s. There is still a risk of blood
clots, and it is contraindicated with men with a history of
those, heart disease or stroke - unless they’re on full-dose
anti-coagulation with Warfarin. The breast enlargement can
be problematic, as with the Bicalutamide, but you can’t use
Tamoxifen. Breast irradiation is used instead to try to stop
that.”
Oestrogen patches are also being tried with prostate
cancer.
Dr Huddart, “There are people saying it has less of the
thromboembolic effect. We did try it at the Marsden and
were less impressed with the activity than we were with
Stilboestrol. Our results are very anecdotal, though. The
use of oestrogen patches is still being explored, but we don’t
feel we got as many responses as we expected.”
PC SPES
This was one of the most popular herbal treatments, a
combination of eight herbs. It was withdrawn after the
National Cancer Institute of the USA found it was
contaminated with synthetic drugs, including Stilboestrol
and Warfarin. Unknowingly taking extra doses of this drug
could be dangerous for people already on them.
Dr Huddart, “It was contaminated with oestrogens, which is
actually why it was effective.”
Another form of this herbal treatment, called PC-HOPE is
available on the web. It contains 10 herbs, but its effect on
prostate cancer has not been tested.
STEROIDS
Prednisolone made by Chauvin
A type of medicine known as a corticosteroid, which is similar
to a natural hormone produced by the adrenal glands which
controls the inflammatory response. Prednisolone is given
orally in a dose of 7.5-10mgs in the morning. It is used in
prostate cancer as a treatment for men with hormone
refractory disease, and also as an alternative to the
anti-androgens. Steroids switch off the extra bit of
testosterone produced elsewhere in the body to decrease
swelling and pain.
Possible side effects may include: insomnia, depression,
thinning of the skin, adrenal suppression, weight gain, acne,
ulceration of the stomach or intestine, increased risk of
fractures of the bones, high blood pressure.
Dr Huddart, “This is often used alongside chemotherapy,
but it is an active agent in its own right. There are side
effects but both these drugs are designed to mimic the
steroids in your body, so if you take them at the same sort of
level that your body produces them – a very low dose - they
don’t tend to be major side effects. As well as the reasons for
using it given above, it’s possible there might be a direct
action on prostate cancer cells as well.”
Dexamethasone made by Organon
Also a tablet, but given in a dose of .5mgs.
Possible side effects: stomach irritation, vomiting,
insomnia, headache, dizziness, depression, acne and easy
bruising.
Dr Huddart, “In the past year, we have switched over to use
this at the Marsden as there is some suggestion that it might
be more effective than Prednisolone.”
Trials: Some newer types of hormonal therapy have been
developed, including Abarelix, Degarelix, Ganirelix and
Cetrorelix, which are all in trials.
CHEMOTHERAPY DRUGS
Chemotherapy may occasionally be given if hormonal
therapy is no longer effective. Although the
chemotherapy cannot get rid of all the cancer cells, it
can shrink the tumour and reduce symptoms.
Adriamycin (doxorubicin) made by Pharmacia
Adriamycin is used to treat other cancers, but is not used
much to treat prostate cancer in the UK at the moment. It is
administered intravenously.
Side effects may include: decreased white blood cell and
platelet counts, increased risk of infection, loss of appetite,
darkening of nail beds and skin creases of hands, hair loss,
nausea and vomiting, mouth sores and, at higher doses, it
may be toxic to the heart.
Patients with pre-existing heart problems may need to
have a cardiac evaluation before use.
S P E C I A L
Epirubicin (pharmorubicin) made by Pharmacia
Epirubicin has similar activity to Adriamycin.
Side effects are similar to adriamycin, but it is less
toxic on the heart.
Dr Huddart, “Both of these drugs were used quite
frequently about 10 or 15 years ago, and are possibly still
being used in some areas of the UK, but we tend to use
drugs with much less cardiotoxicity now like Mitoxantrone
(below).”
Mitoxantrone (Novantrone) made by Lederle
Laboratories
An outpatient treatment given once every three weeks in a
short intravenous injection, over 15 to 30 minutes.
R E P O R T
i c o n
1 9
cells, fever (often a warning sign of infection), fluid
retention, mouth ulceration, hair loss, nail and skin changes
and diarrhoea.
Dr Huddart, “Taxotere is used in breast cancer, and about a
year ago two major trials showed that it improved survival in
prostate cancer better than Mitoxantrone. The problem
with Taxotere at the moment is getting funding within the
NHS. I think that most men being treated privately will get
it, if they are fit enough. Men have to be fitter to have it
because it is more toxic than Mitoxantrone.”
Cyclophosphamide (cytoxan) made by Asta Medica
Like Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide is toxic to cancer cells.
It is taken orally, in tablet form, or intravenously over 30-60
minutes.
Side effects may include: decreased white blood cell
count, with increased risk of infection, hair loss, nausea and
vomiting, loss of appetite, mouth or lip sores, diarrhoea.
Dr Huddart, “This is not one I use regularly. It’s difficult to
know how it stacks up against the others, as it’s not been
particularly well studied. Some people have reported getting
good responses with it, but I’m not sure it’s as active as
Mitoxantrone and Taxotere.”
Estramustine (Emcyt, Estracyte) made by Pfizer
In tablet form, this is a combination of a chemotherapy
agent, nornitogen mustard, and an oestrogen, so it has the
advantages and disadvantages of both.
It is not known exactly how it works. It does not directly
damage DNA like other alkylating agents. It seems to act on
structures in cells called microtubules in a similar way as
Taxotere.
Possible side effects include: all the side effects of
Stilboestrol (above), particularly nausea, plus bone marrow
suppression, drop in white and red blood cell count,
increased risk of blood clots (thrombosis). Tell your doctor if
you have diabetes, kidney or other health problems.
Dr Huddart, “I never use this drug. I’ve not been convinced
that it is any more active than Stilboestrol. It is more
commonly used in the United States because Stilboestrol isn’t
licensed there.”
Side effects may include: as with Adriamycin, but less
hair loss and nausea, and possibly less bone marrow
suppression.
Dr Huddart, “This was my first choice chemotherapy drug
up until a year ago. It became the standard chemotherapy in
prostate cancer after it was shown in randomised trials to
improve the quality of life, when given with Prednisolone.
It was better than Prednisolone on its own. About a third of
people get a major benefit in terms of symptom relief and
PSA falls, a third find their cancer stabilises for a period of
time and a third see no benefit at all.”
Taxotere (Docetaxel) made by Aventis
Taxotere resembles taxol in chemical structure (Taxol is called
a mitotic inhibitor because it interferes with cells during
mitosis, cell division). It is usually given intravenously once
every three weeks. Because the side effects can be
bothersome, additional drugs can be prescribed to help
counter them. For example, Dexamethasone is commonly
used to prevent fluid retention while on Taxotere.
Possible side effects include: decrease in white blood
Chemotherapy combinations
Dr Huddart, “By and large, in prostate cancer, you tend to
be using single agent chemotherapy because the majority of
men are elderly and often have bone disease, so are quite
fragile in terms of their blood count. There hasn’t been a lot
of good evidence on combination, although recently there
was a combination reported as having quite impressive
results: Epirubicin, Carboplatin and 5-FU (Fluorouacil).
This hasn’t been compared with other treatments to see if
there is an advantage in using combination, say over
Taxotere. “
RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES
These are used to reduce bone pain in men with prostate
cancer. The radioactive isotope is given as an intravenous
injection and goes into activity in the bone.
Strontium (Protelos) made by Servier Laboratories
Side effects may include: suppression of the bone marrow,
permanently in some men.
Dr Huddart, “There is pretty good evidence that it reduces
bone pain with prostate cancer and may reduce the
development of further bone pain. In trials, men who had
Strontium as their treatment, compared to just having a bit
of radiotherapy or having radiotherapy and Strontium, had
i c o n
2 0
S P E C I A L
R E P O R T
better pain relief. We tend to be a bit reluctant to do
chemotherapy after Strontium partly because a lot of our
men are in trials which don’t allow you to give a radioactive
isotope beforehand. We would use hormone treatment,
chemotherapy and, only when that doesn’t work, think
about Strontium. By then the bone marrow is a bit weak,
and it’s very difficult to give, so we don’t tend to use a lot of
it. It doesn’t affect survival, but symptomatically can
be very effective.”
BISPHOSPHONATES
These may be able to control bone pain, and slow down the
damage caused to the bone in men whose prostate cancer
has spread there.
Dr Huddart, “Using bisphosphonates is a controversial area.
There is a reasonable amount of evidence that they can
reduce bone pain in a proportion of people with advanced
bone disease, and that is probably the commonest place to
use these drugs. There is one published trial which suggests
that using a bisphosphonate quite early on, after receiving
some treatment for metastatic disease, reduces
skeletal-related events like bone fractures and bone pain
compared to not having the drug.
But there is some debate about the size of the benefit and
whether it is large enough to make the trouble of receiving
it and side effects worth it.
There are a number of different drugs, including
Pamidronate – the standard NHS bisphosphonate at the
Marsden – and Clodronate which is not used much now, but
Zometa is probably the most potent and has the best
evidence from trial. There are trials going on on another
new drug, Ibandronate.
Zometa (zoledronic acid or Zoledronate) made by
Novartis
NHS access to this drug can vary. Data from three clinical
trials, involving more than 3,000 patients, have shown that
Zometa is more effective at preventing or delaying
complications such as bone fractures, compression of the
spinal cord, and severe bone pain than Pamidronate. In the
US, patients who were given Zometa also experienced longer
periods before relapse than those who received Pamidronate
(30 days for Zometa versus 17 days for pamidronate). Zometa
can be given during a 15-minute infusion time, versus an
infusion time of two to 24 hours necessary with the other.
Side effects may include: fever, chills, bone pain, muscle or
joint pain, nausea or vomiting.
Pamidronate (aredia) made by Novartis
Pamidronate is a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate.
Side effects may include: fever, fatigue, nausea and
vomiting, initial bone pain, lack of appetite and anaemia
(decrease in red blood cells).
ENDOTHELIN BLOCKERS
These may block the growth of cancer cells by attaching
themselves to growth receptors (endothelin receptors) on the
surface of the prostate cancer cells. The drugs are given as
tablets and may be called endothelin receptor agonists.
Early trials are currently under way with Atrasentan and
another drug called YM598. Early results from some trials
show that endothelin blockers may be able to slow down the
growth of cancer in the bone and delay the symptoms of
secondary bone cancer, when given to men with advanced
prostate cancer. It will be some years before it is known how
useful these drugs may be.
Dr Huddart, “Results to date have been promising, but we
will have to wait and see if they become licensed in the
United States and Europe.”
For more information about a particular drug use your
favourite internet search engine and type in the drug
you’re researching, or log onto
http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk.
This site provides useful tips on lessening side
effects.”
Questions to Dr Huddart from Chris Woollams:
CW: "What is your view on the Thomson US research from Texas
(MD Anderson 2003), supported by Australia and Singapore
studies, that prostate cancer can be caused by localised oestrogen
(oestradiol) converting ‘safe’ testosterone to the highly active and
dangerous hormone DHT? How then, do doctors justify giving
oestrogen injections?"
Dr H:"All testosterone is converted to DHT, that is how it works.
This is blocked by drugs like Finsteride. But using this drug has
minimal impact on cancer. I'm not really familiar with the data you
quote. We use oestrogen because it works, both as a primary
treatment (although it is too toxic to use routinely) and as a
second-line/third-line treatment. That it does work suggests that
the above theory is wrong."
CW: "Why not try to cut oestrogen out (as with women and
aromatase inhibitors)?"
Dr H: "We have tried and it doesn't work. The AROI are
inactive."
CW: "If you give men oestrogen, surely after about three years
the body will just fight back and overcome the testosterone
deficiency by making more so the cancer is bound to reapppear."
Dr H: "How? The signal to produce testosterone is cut off and, if
you measure testosterone, you can show levels remain low."
CW: "What is your view on Ablatherm? (High Intensity Focused
Ultrasound - HIFU) To date 7,000 patients have been successfully
treated using this therapy in 61 centres in France, Germany, Italy,
Belgium, Russia and Switzerland. They had an 87 per cent success
rate, without relapse at five years in Munich (Dr Stefan Thuroff of
the Krankenhaus Munchen Harlaching)."
DR H: " It's a promising alternative to surgery or radiotherapy for
organ-confined local disease, or for relapse after radiotherapy. We
plan a trial of this starting this year at the Royal Marsden. It is
being used at the Institute of Urology, in London.
CW: "Why is it not already used instead of drugs in the UK?"
Dr H: "It is not an alternative to drugs. Drugs are for advanced
disease largely (outside of the prostate) and HIFU is for localised
disease, to treat disease in the prostate.
CW: "We understand that the UK trial only started a year ago in
Stockport, why have we been so slow with it when its success is
way better than the 53.8% UK 5-year average?"
Dr H: "You are comparing chalk and cheese here. The localised
disease results, in the UK with radical prostatectomy or
radiotherapy are much better than 58.3%. Standard treatments
are at least as good as HIFU. The machines cost £500,000, which is
a lot for a machine that only treats prostate cancer. For the same
cash you can buy a radiotherapy machine which treats lots of
different cancers."
CW: "Can you explain why we seem to be lagging behind our
peer countries in Europe (European average 65.4%)?"
Dr H: "Difficult to answer. There are many reasons, apart from
issues of whether treatment is better or worse here or in Europe.
These include: the different ways data is collected (UK may be
more accurate while other countries miss bad prognosis patients,
making us look worse); less PSA testing to detect prostate cancer.
PSA testing finds a lot of early asymptomatic cancers with good
prognosis. The more you find of these the better the overall
results look (the 'Will Rogers effect’).
N O T I C E B O A R D
-
Thank you for my issue of i c o n … I found it
compulsive reading from cover to cover. At the
moment I am recovering from a stem cell transplant
trying to fight multiple myeloma. With help from
friends we have been raising money for the past two
years to help in their research. From now on I think
our energy would be better spent supporting
CANCERactive.
You have my heartfelt gratitude for all the help you
have given me. I don’t feel as if I have to sort out this
jungle of life-saving information on my own anymore
now I have found you.
PAULINE ANSELL, HERTS
BREAST AND PROSTATE CANCER PATIENTS
NEEDED FOR NEW TRIAL
, an expert in
Dr Eccles BSc MBBS MRCP PhD
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the Chiron Clinic
For more information, contact
on 020 7224 4622
I’d like to congratulate you on a marvellous talk in
Salisbury. Your book has been my bible since I was
diagnosed with breast cancer in January. Your talk
was immensely engaging and informative. Some days
I confess I have trouble getting every last supplement
down and like everyone else I eat naughty things but thanks to you I’m back in the race again.
ZENA HUMPHREY by EMAIL
All contributions
and comments fr
om readers will
most welcome.
be
With a magazin
e and a website,
i c o n really does
to provide “eve
aim
rything you need
to know to help
beat cancer”.
you
Address details
on page 3.
L E T T E R S ,
N E W S
A N D
V I E W S
i c o n
2 1
PROFESSOR SIR RICHARD DOLL
Dr Roger Coghill is entitled to
offer a rebuttal to
what he sees as unfair or harsh
personal comment
( i c o n 2005 issue 2). But extraord
inarily he saw fit to
use this as a vehicle to launch a
vitriolic attack on the
international reputation and inte
grity of Sir Richard
Doll.
Among other things, he accuses
Sir Richard of
promoting “convenient” science
. Readers of i c o n
might well ask: what is “conve
nient” about 20 million
people dying from tobacco rela
ted deaths?
As to Sir Richard’s pre-eminence
in the field, sadly the
most eloquent defence of this
will now come in the
form of obituaries. Sir Richard
died on Sunday 24th
July.
PROFESSOR MEL GREAVES, INST
ITUTE OF CANCER
RESEARCH, LONDON
Ed: i c o n was proud to print wha
t was probably the
last interview with Sir Richard Doll
in i c o n 2005 Issue 1.
ine and your
with the magaz
d
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pr
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ly
al
I am re
ris’s personal
also moved by Ch
as
w
I
k.
or
w
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ha
lled your energy
you have channe
sadness and how
informative for
so positive and
into something
everybody else.
my own website:
xologist and run
e
I work as a refle
helps inform th
ch
hi
logist.com w
xo
e
fle
th
l
re
al
da
ith
fin
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w.
ww
nefits
xology and its be
am
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m
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an
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public about refle
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latest news, inte
UK’s first registe
e
th
so
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e
sit
eb
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Th
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ise
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l
qualified reflexo
le find their loca
op
pe
s
lp
es and he
examining bodi
practitioner.
ESS SUPPLIED
NAME AND ADDR
Bless you, Catherine and Chris,
for the sacrifice you
have both made to spread the
truth about cancer to
us mere mortals groping about
in the dark for a light
at the end of the tunnel. Afte
r reading your book
and attending your seminar in
Chichester, we have
hope and are optimistic about
the future. You shone
that light for us and we will be
forever grateful.
TC by EMAIL
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Jeans for Genes celebrates its 10th birthday on Friday
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Britain’s only cancer
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Cancer Researcher,
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Founder, CANCERactive
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Currently one in three women and one in two men in the UK will develop cancer at some point during their
lifetime. Worse, cancer rates are forecast to double again in the next twenty years, having already doubled in
the past thirty. If this happens, doctors, nurses and hospitals could not cope and the NHS could fold.
Nor is the problem simply one of an ageing population. More of our young people are developing cancer, with
brain tumours and leukaemia set to outstrip road accidents as the primary cause of death amongst teenagers.
Meanwhile 5-year survival rates have only risen by 12 per cent in the last 30 years, and the UK lags behind all
its major Western European rivals. Hardly facts to shout about or, worse, to imply that somehow cures are just
around the corner. (Source – UK Government/Eurocare 3). The issues are cancer prevention, sadly neglected to
date, and setting a serious agenda for the population as a whole. We simply cannot go on ignoring real
cancer prevention necessities anymore
IT’S TIME FOR ACTION, Central Hall Westminster, London: November 17th 2005
For more information call
This is a non-profit making conference
run by the new charity CANCERactive.
01280 821211/815166.
Registered Charity Number 1102413 England
CANCER PREVENTION CONFERENCE
CANCER PREVENTION IN THE UK.
IT’S TIME FOR ACTION.
This crucial conference aims to pull together the people who know; the people who care; the
parties truly interested in seeing true cancer prevention given the importance it deserves.
This conference might not have all the answers but you can expect to hear:
G What factors really do cause cancer – let’s be honest, we know it’s not just smoking and excess
sunshine!!
G What the Government is currently planning, for example, in education, or food standards
G What experts think needs to be done:
I by Schools and Local Education Authorities
I by Local Health Authorities, doctors, nurses and hospitals
I by Local Government and Local Councils
G How each of us can take maximum preventative action to reduce the risks of this terrible
disease to ourselves and our families.
Then it aims to identify which factors might be part of the UK prevention agenda for the
coming years, providing a focus on the issues that really matter and how to implement the
strategy in our general population, our schools, our hospitals, in local government.
Cancer is a modern epidemic, but it must not/cannot be accepted as the norm.
We’re here to prevent you dying of cancer.
Central Hall Westminster, London Thursday November 17th, 2005. 9.30am to 5.30pm
Please reserve
*tickets for me at the special ‘reader’ offer price of £125 including VAT.
* (no. of tickets required)
NAME:
ORGANISATION:
ADDRESS:
TEL NO:
E-MAIL:
Return to:CANCERactive, The Elms, Radclive Road, Gawcott, Bucks MK18 4JB, with cheque made payable to
CANCERactive or call 01280 821211/815166 with your credit/debit card details NOW!
If you cannot attend but would like to make a donation to CANCERactive, please give us a call.
i c o n
2 4
Most of us have been aware of
something going on with the
European Parliament and
vitamins. You probably don’t
know all the details, but it may
have been disheartening to
read in the newspapers in
mid-July that a bid to have the
EU lift their “ban” on many of
the regular high street vitamins
had failed. Anyone using a lot
of supplementation as part of
their cancer treatment might
have been particularly worried.
But the papers got it wrong. There was
no wholesale ban on vitamins.
The silver lining
Yes, the European Court of Justice DID
rule to uphold the controversial Food
Supplements Directive, but the Alliance
for Natural Health (ANH) along with
their top European lawyers found there
was a silver lining hidden within the
small print of the Court’s ruling that
means it is almost impossible for the
feared, wide-scale exclusion to go
ahead.
What is the ANH?
The ANH is a Europe-wide association
of consumers, complementary
practitioners, distributors, retailers and
manufacturers who have an interest in
food supplements and natural health,
established to protect health freedoms
threatened by moves such as the EU
Directive, but also other worldwide
agencies of which more later. The ANH
challenged the ban implied by the
Directive and achieved what they
describe as “a major victory”.
So what is the victory?
First a bit of background. Originally, the
Food Supplements Directive scraped
through the European Parliament by
the skin of its teeth back in early 2002.
Its purpose was ostensibly to harmonise
regulation across Europe and therefore
benefit trade as well as protecting
public safety. Like lots of the EU
legislation most people were unaware
of it until it was almost too late. The
system proposed by the EU was going
to exclude ingredients simply because
the supplement companies did not
have the financial capacity to meet the
requirement for huge amounts of data
for the scientific dossiers demanded by
the EU authorities. If the directive had
been unchallenged, over 5000 products
would have disappeared from the
shelves of UK health shops as a result
of the ban removing over 300 vitamin
and mineral ingredients. These included
a whole range of substances, for
instance, the main natural forms of
Vitamin E, several forms of Vitamin C,
the key natural form of folic acid and
other B vitamins plus a whole range of
minerals. All of them were substances
that many of us have been taking daily
for years with only positive effects.
The three year battle
When the Directive was first passed,
the Alliance for Natural Health was set
up specifically to oppose the restrictive
parts of this legislation. It has been
battling for three years and has now
successfully contested the Directive,
allowing many of us to continue taking
responsibility for our own health and
choices. In short, without the ANH’s
legal challenge, the ban on thousands
of products would have occurred on
August 1st. It will now be very difficult,
says the ANH, for the regulators to ban
products unless they can produce
evidence showing harmfulness of
particular ingredients at specific doses
One of the reasons the ANH disagrees
with the media’s interpretation of
events revolves around the distinction
between those vitamins and minerals
which are normally found in our diet
and those which are derived from
chemical substances (i.e. not naturally).
Nothing in the former category will be
banned. Those substances in the
second category will only be given the
green light after strenuous scientific
research. Another win for the Alliance
is simplification of requirements to get
products on to the EU’s allowed, or on
the“positive” list and the fact that the
burden of proof has been transferred
(to a large degree) from manufacturers
(often small companies) to the
regulator.
Time Limit
The Directive will allow ingredients
available before 2003 to be used at
least to the end of 2009, provided that
technical dossiers had been submitted
for subsequent consideration by the
European Food Safety Authority.
Accordingly, some 505 dossiers for
vitamin and mineral ingredients were
submitted by 12 July, the official
deadline. To facilitate the process
further, the UK’s Food Standard Agency
also extended the dossier deadline until
August 1st. All products containing
ingredients subject to dossiers will
remain on the market to at least the
end of 2009 unless they are given an
unfavourable review, on the grounds of
risks to public health, by the European
Food Safety Authority.
So, is the battle over?
Is everything OK now?
The ANH would say a
resounding NO.
To begin with the Food Supplements
Directive will shortly lay down terms
which will limit dosages – and these
terms are riddled with flawed science,
says the ANH. High dosages of some
substances are very effective in treating
cancer, and this could still be under
threat. Naturopathic cancer doctor,
Etienne Callebout said, “It’s not just a
case of taking a higher numbers of pills
(which means greater expense) but it
also means consuming greater
quantities of fillers just to get the right
amount of active ingredient.” Should
this come into effect, it could lead to
the development of a black market
where we buy our supplements illegally
over the internet.
There is also theTraditional Herbal
Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD),
which comes into force later this year
and may restrict availability of many
herbal products because of the
“pharmaceutical standards” set by the
Directive. Again, the EU promises to
provide for a “simplified
pharmaceutical registration for herbal
medicines” - but only for substances
that have been in safe use for 30 years,
15 of them within the EU, singly or in
the same combinations. Thus, medicinal
herbs in centuries-long use outside the
community cannot benefit from the
fast-track licence procedure.
Clouds on the horizon
Taking a larger world-view, there are
events occurring in the US that present
a threat for the future. These are
documented by award-winning
film-maker Kevin Miller in his film
called We Become Silent: the last days
of health freedom. Narration is by
Dame Judi Dench, a supporter of the
ANH. It is a frightening, but
compulsive piece of work.
The film – viewable on the ANH
website - looks at how the health-food
industry has always been under attack,
threatened, it is claimed, by the
powerful pharmaceutical lobbies,
particularly in the US. In 1963 a
Commission was set up called Codex
Alimentarius, a combination of two UN
bodies, the Food and Agriculture
Organisation and the World Health
Organisation. Its early brief was
innocuous enough – to provide
nutritious food for developing nations
and a guide to dangerous industrial
chemicals in foods.
i c o n
BANNED OR NOT
WHAT’S THE TRUTH
ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS?
The real story
about the EU directive
and what the future holds
for anyone wanting
to take responsibility
for their own health
By Ginny Fraser
2 5
This changed, however, to incorporate
dietary (food) supplements, and Codex
took on a whole new complexion,
which, according to the Miller film, is a
lot more worrying, although again,
harmonising trade and safeguarding
the public are claimed to be the
motivating force.
The pharmaceutical lobby
In recent years the whole natural
health foods and supplements industry
has grown massively, and so has
opposition from, claims the ANH, the
interests of the pharmaceutical
companies who still control the vast
majority of the synthetic vitamins and
minerals market. Hence the view of
Codex has been that pharmaceutical
drugs are safe, because they are tested,
whereas supplements are not, because
they haven’t been through rigorous
testing.
Time for action
On the video, Dr Robert Verkerk,
Director of the ANH, says, “People are
waking up to the fact that the
healthcare system they place their trust
in is not delivering the health care they
need.” Indeed what the campaign is
bringing to our awareness is the fact
that at a time when we really need to
be taking better care of ourselves
(cancer levels increasing; pollution
decimating the vitamin content of
natural foods; living in sea of chemicals
and radio-waves), the very ways we can
do that are in danger of being put out
of our reach.
The ANH’s battle has been described as
a David and Goliath confrontation
(remember what happened to
Goliath?), and the work goes on. “We
must now move from a legal battle to a
scientific battle”, says Verkerk. “The
risk assessment framework that is being
considered by the authorities has been
borrowed from those systems assessing
intrinsically toxic substances such as
drugs and pesticides, and has no place
for use with nutrients that are essential
to life. A new paradigm for safety/
benefit analysis is needed specifically
for nutrients.” The ANH has
commissioned a new framework that
could be used EU-wide and
internationally through Codex.
F
or any of us relying on supplements
to stay healthy or get well, it’s
good to know that there is a crusader out there fighting on our behalf.
To support the organisation in its work
or for more information go to:
www.alliance-natural-health.org.
More on the EU Directive in Hot Gossip,
Page 49
i c o n
2 6
C E N T R E F O L D
P I N - U P
15 things you need to know
about Colon Cancer
(and they’ve all been covered in i c o n in the last two years!)
C E N T R E F O L D
1
2
13
Folic acid has been
clearly shown to
reduce risk of colon
and bowel cancers.
7
Another possible cause
is yeasts, and thus an
imbalance between
good bacteria and the bad
guys like yeasts, fungi and
microbes. Good bacteria are
essential to good digestion
and production of an
essential vitamin, biotin.
Antibiotics, steroids and,
possibly, even statins destroy
the good guys.
11
Keep a good, natural
fibre intake. Fibre
should be inside your
foods – nuts, vegetables,
fruit - not falsely added to it.
14
Watch your weight.
Your fat will store
excess toxins and also
make oestrogen – you don’t
need either.
8
4
However research has
shown that aspirin, fish
oils, garlic and ginger
can all turn off the
production. Vitamin D also
has a strong protective
influence.
Destroying the good
bacteria leaves the
yeasts free to multiply
and flourish, being
commonly found in infected
intestines. Garlic, Pau
d’Arco, caprylic acid and
wormwood will kill them off
if you add a no-sugar, noalcohol, no-refined foods,
no-yeasts, no-dairy diet.
6
Japanese research has
strongly implicated salt
as a major cause.
Doubling your salt intake
doubles your risk.
15
12
5
Polyps and
inflammation are
precursors to colon
cancer. They too can be
“calmed” by aspirin, aloe
vera, garlic, ginger and fish
oils.
2 7
Parasites are more
common than you
think. They too may
be a culprit. Try Neways
Purge/Parafree.
Birmingham University
showed localised
oestrogen as a possible
culprit.
3
i c o n
10
Colon Cancer has long
been considered the
preserve of old men
although all is changing. For
example, there’s a growing
population of pregnant
young women being
diagnosed.
Another likely factor is
a carcinogenic bile acid
that you make yourself.
Its production is stimulated
by animal fats and alcohol.
P I N - U P
9
The Boston Nurses
study showed that the
only vegetable that
made a significant difference
to colon cancer risk rates
was garlic.
Smoking increases the
risk of colon cancer.
It’s much easier to cut
out smoking!
Everyone over 50 can
be screened and
accuracy is excellent.
There are two tests: the
faecal occult blood test
which measures to see if
there is blood in your stools
and the flexible
sigmoidoscopy using a long
tube and camera.
i c o n
2 8
THE 4 PILLARS OF CANCER
( Part 1 )
i c o n magazine is just over three years old
and, judging by readers’ comments, goes
from strength to strength.
One of the first articles we ran was entitled
The 4 Pillars of Cancer. Over the last three
years a great deal of new scientific research
has been reported and we have learned far
more about the 4 Pillars. So much so that it
was the title for the talks I recently gave on
my tour of the USA, Australia, Japan, Ireland
and the UK.
There are thousands of ways of approaching the
subject of cancer – its prevention or its treatment. The
4 Pillars is just one of them, but it is a simple and
all-embracing route to help both would-be preventers
and those already afflicted with this terrible disease.
A few years ago the World Health Organisation opined
that there were three overall causes of cancer, and
tried to estimate the relevance of each:
1. 50 per cent caused by POOR DIET
2. 25 per cent caused by INFECTION
3. 25 per cent caused by TOXINS
Many experts would argue that to this list of tangible
reasons must be added a much harder area to
estimate or quantify:
4. Unknown per cent caused by MENTAL STATE
Why worry about the causes?
Most people reading this magazine have cancer. A
number do not, and nor do they want it. Some,
however, may feel cancer runs in their family.
Certainly 50 years ago those people with genetic
factors (such as BRCA1 and BRCA2) had a 40 per cent
chance of developing the disease. With modern
environments and modern lifestyle, that figure is now
just over 70 per cent.
However, before those people get too depressed,
please be aware that a 2001 Swedish study of
identical twins across Europe showed that just
because one family member with the genes developed
a disease, the identical sibling did not have to,
providing he or she took important lifestyle and
dietary steps for avoidance.
There’s the good news.
T
o a great degree, the power is in your own
hands. The US Chief Medical Officer said that,
“this study should remove the ‘fatalism’ that,
because it runs in my family, I must get it too.”
You do not have to get cancer as long as you are prepared to make some effort, The 4 Pillars hopefully
tells you how to do the basics!
But understanding the causes is also crucial to the
person already diagnosed with cancer. For example, if
you smoked and developed lung cancer, by and large
whatever your doctor did you would expect the
disease to return if you carried on smoking. What
causes your cancer could well be the thing that is
maintaining it too.
i c o n
2 9
A report by Chris Woollams that can save your life
Understanding Cause
is Crucial to Treatment
Take Professor Jane Plant, for example. Breast cancer
was diagnosed, various orthodox treatments used and
failed and with tumours behind her neck, she was told
to go home and make a will.
As a scientist herself, she decided to look for the
cause, identified the possibility of dairy, cut this out
and within six weeks the tumours had gone.
But then, many breast cancers are hormonally driven
and since 1991 (NCI, America) we have known that
IGF1, found in dairy, can interfere with cell division
causing cells to grow rapidly and even mutate.
orthodox medical world just consider this? If 50 per
cent of all cancers are supposedly caused by a POOR
DIET, couldn’t just some of these patients benefit –
even be cured – by a GOOD DIET?
Cause – An approach to
treating cancer?
I know it sounds a bit simplistic but if I were an
oncologist, or merely a GP, with a newly diagnosed
cancer patient, I’d be spending serious time with them
asking:
What may have caused this cancer and what might
therefore be maintaining it? Is it hormonally driven?
(Oestrogen drives far more than breast cancer!)
Changing The Odds
And then I’d be saying to the patient:
With every cancer there is an average 5-year survival
rate. It’s a statistic. A rate that varies, often widely,
by country.
G Right, before we go near any surgery, radio or
chemotherapy we are going to do everything in our
power to boost your natural defences – your immune
system.
With prostate cancer in Austria the 5-year figure is
83.6%, but in England it is only 53.8%. Clearly then
the package of medical treatments, your lifestyle and
diet can increase, or worsen, your odds of survival.
Dr Rosy Daniel, former Head of the Bristol Cancer Help
Centre says that by building a complete, integrated,
wholistic programme (using the best of orthodox and
complementary, even alternative therapies), a patient
can improve their odds of 5-year survival by as much
as 60 per cent. And that sounds good enough to me!
But then, if only as a piece of logic, why cannot the
G And we will try and get more oxygen into your
blood.
Why? Well the evidence is quite clear; cancer is
systemic – weak immune systems lead to more disease
and more cancer. Lowered oxygen levels lead to more
cancer.
Look into Darkfield Microscopy or Russian algae/
photoscan diagnosis and this will become abundantly
clear; or just read some of the research we’ve covered
in Cancer Watch over the last three years.
i c o n
3 0
T H E
F O U R
P I L L A R S
Cancer is a whole body disease. And this dictates a
whole body treatment approach.
this article: Improve your statistics and make you a
well-above-average case.
And so we come back to you, the reader and, if you
have a cancer, how you might begin adding to your
doctor’s orthodox expertise.
Message to Doctors
Poor diet, Toxins, Infections, Mental State? Unlike the
World Health Organisation, we urge you not to think
of these as separate boxes.
F
or example, depression lowers your blood
oxygen; poor diet weakens your immune system.
This may be exacerbated by certain chemicals and
toxins, increasing the chances of infection and
tipping you over the edge into a cancer.
If you are a doctor reading this, please understand
that we have research that supports these pages,
almost all of it is readily available on our website
(www.iconmag.co.uk). Please, please be open-minded,
we are just trying to increase the odds of survival for
your patient.
And if you want to amplify the possible causes and
actions, try reading ‘Everything you need to know to
help you beat cancer’. It has been Britain’s No 1
selling cancer book for the last two years – the first 12
copies in Japan were all bought by doctors!
So don’t look for one cause, examine your whole
lifestyle. Go with your doctor’s orthodox
recommendations, but evaluate them fully and ask
objective questions. Two recent studies showed that
patients did not understand “doctorspeak” when it
came to cancer and were also turning more and more
to the web because it empowered them and put them
back in charge of their own treatment programme.
However, there are great dangers in chasing around
the web; some sites talk complete rubbish!
Be circumspect. And always get a second opinion, on
anything you consider doing!
Read our 4 pillars, copy them, take them with you
when you see your oncologist and tell him clearly
what you intend to do to increase your own chances
of survival around his plans for you. Be open, be
honest.
But remember, it’s your life. And you must be happy
with the final plan.
Managing your survival plan
The fundamental truth about building a
addressing the causes (and therefore any likely
treatments) via the 4 Pillars of Cancer is that you are
now entering a world largely outside your GP and
oncologist’s medical training. Natural human nature
can then sometimes play an unhelpful role.
Poor diet/good diet – we know oncologists who will
confirm that they have never spent a single day
studying nutrition or diet (nor supplements) and
therefore are simply not qualified to express an
opinion. However, despite this, some will reject all
supplementation and diet therapies.
Toxins – the majority of these, and their links to cancer
are way beyond your doctor’s knowledge or training.
Infection – here your doctor should be able to advise,
although science is moving very quickly and they may
not be completely up-to-date.
PILLAR 1: POOR DIET
Diet is the most enormous subject and here we
try to condense the most important issues into
just a couple of pages.
The Government recommends
One oncologist we know told a patient that he did not
recommend supplements. He preferred the Government’s
recommendation of five lots of fruit and vegetable a day.
However in France this figure is ten. In the USA the
“prevention” recommendation until January was five lots,
plus 30 minutes of exercise. But that, to judge by a quick
study of the average New Yorker’s girth, was not working.
So, some bright spark of a scientist with official favour
decided upon a new solution: Thirteen lots of fruit and
vegetables a day and 60-90 minutes of exercise!
Mental State – almost certainly an area completely
foreign to your oncologist. It is a new and very
specialised area.
We’ll, that should fix it in America, then! Don’t hold your
breath.
So he may encourage you, or he may try to dissuade
you. All the more reason to photostat this whole
article and give him a copy. Beating cancer is about
risk management. And that’s all we are trying to do in
We’ve also had Government endorsed healthy eating
pyramids, which tell you the foods you can eat once in a
blue moon (there’s lots of those) and the few you can eat
daily. But that’s not a diet. A diet is not about the foods
T H E
you can’t eat – it’s about the foods you should eat.
The MD Anderson Cancer Center –
John Boik recommends
And here’s the rub. There’s a chap called John Boik. He’s at
the top of the prestigious MD Anderson Cancer Center in
Texas and in 2001 he published a book called, Natural
Compounds in Cancer Therapy. It’s over an inch thick and
contains 4000 scientific references. Every doctor should
be made to read it during their seven years at medical
school because, if nothing else, it will prove to them
that diet is crucial in the prevention and treatment of
cancer.
His belief is that cancer is a multi-step process. He cites 20
steps, for example including pre-cancer cells, cancer cells, a
growth, a tumour, the need for blood supply, firing off cells
round the body etc etc. And he assigns foods and
supplements to fight each step.
Nowhere near as comprehensive, but a lot easier to read, is
my own The Tree of Life - the Anti-cancer diet which looks at
the foods you must add into your diet. Foods, by and large,
that we just don’t eat anymore. Foods that have a proven,
well-researched, anti-cancer effect. Like fish oils with their
long chain omega 3 and vitamin D, or garlic (known to
reduce the formation of blood supply vessels to tumours).
Foods that don’t help.
There are three foods that both I and the research believe
are of concern. These are dairy, salt and sugar, in excess.
There is also research against eating too much meat,
especially red meat, but this might not be true for every
reader. I, for one, am a great believer in metabolic typing.
One man’s meat is another man’s poison
You may have heard of a book by Peter D’Adamo: Eat Right
for your Type. In this he suggests that across the world there
exists in homo sapiens several different blood types and that
each flourishes on a different diet. Some prefer vegan diets,
others meat based. It’s all about our ancestry.
A rather more sophisticated system has been developed in
America by Bill Wolcott who uses nine biochemical factors.
Dr Etienne Callebout in the UK uses a similar approach at his
Harley Street clinic for cancer treatment. We can give you
more details if you ring the office on 01280 821211,
C
ertain cancer centres – for example, the Bristol Cancer
Help Centre – recommend vegetarian diets for cancer
patients. But our note of caution is that anyone
embarking on such a programme, especially someone
with breast cancer, should definitely supplement with
natural vitamin B-12. (Chlorella is a good source - ring 01280
821211 for details). Women with breast cancer are invariably
deficient in B-12 which occurs naturally in meats, and you
wouldn’t want to make matters worse.
So, back to the foods that do not help matters:
DAIRY
Swedish research indicates that the consumption of dairy
and the incidence of prostate cancer are linked in a direct
line graph. The more you consume, the higher your risk.
Not quite so blatant is the link with breast cancer. Does
organic, or low fat milk avoid the problem? Only slightly,
because the issue is not pesticides or fat, it is IGF 1
F O U R
P I L L A R S
i c o n
3 1
i c o n
3 2
T H E
F O U R
P I L L A R S
(Insulin-like Growth Factor). This makes cells divide rapidly
and small calves grow to big cows in 10 months or so. But
we humans grow to full size in 18 years. We don’t need our
cells multiplying that fast. In biochemical terms this is
dubbed “cellular proliferation” and the NCI in the US linked
it to increased cancer risk as long ago as 1992.
Other (Continued)
Negative emotions
Preservatives, jams etc
Products in vinegar
Salt and condiments; MSG
Sauces
Stress
Sugar
Sweets
Tobacco
Vinegar
SUGAR
Put simply, we all consume too much of it. And
glucose is the favourite food of the cancer cell.
Also we don’t want to cause undue stress to our pancreas,
because the pancreas also produces enzymes that can switch
off some cancer cells (see later – oestrogen). But the
pancreas is also the organ that pumps out insulin in response
to excesses of refined carbohydrates and sugars, and
overload can produce both diabetes and an impaired
pancreas.
Acid bodies feed cancer
You may not realise it but every day of our lives we each
make 200 or so pre-cancer or potential cancer cells. Our
immune systems deal with them day in day out. That is, as
long as they are operating fully.
If the immune system is defective or deficient, then problems
can set in. The body, the immune system, the cellular systems all need a pH of about 7.4 (7.2 is neutral) to operate at
their maximum. This means, in simple English, that they
need to be slightly alkaline.
Unfortunately factors such as stress, smoking, alcohol, coffee,
many drugs and meats and fish all leave acid residues in the
body.
A list of acid and alkaline foods is shown in the box. Some
foods are open to debate but it is broadly correct. Certain
cancer therapies, for example Carctol, are part of an extreme
alkaline producing regime.
ACID RESIDUE PRODUCERS
Fruits
Bananas
Grapefruit
Oranges
Plums
Prunes
Vegetables
Asparagus tips
Brussels sprouts
Chick peas
Dried beans
Lentils
Peanuts
Rhubarb
Tomatoes
All Dairy
All Fresh Foods
Meats, fish, shellfish,
scallops, crab.
All processed and salted
meats, smoked fish
Cereals and nuts
All packet nuts, crisps &
snacks
All refined flour including
noodles, spaghetti,
buckwheat
Barley
Cornflakes and most
processed breakfast
cereals
Doughnuts
Dumplings
Macaroni
Oatmeal
Pie, pastries and bread
Refined rice
Other
All Alcohol
Chocolate, cocoa
Coffee, tea
Fizzy drinks
Eggs
Lack of sleep
ALKALINE RESIDUE PRODUCERS
Fresh fruits
Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Blackberries
Blackcurrants
Cherries
Cranberries
Currants, raisons
Dates
Figs
Grapes
Lemons
Lychees
Mangos
Melon
Olives
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Raspberries
Redcurrants
Other
Alfalfa
Agar-Agar
Fresh cracked nuts
Fresh ginger
Fresh juices
(own preparation)
Herb teas, green tea
Honey
Millet
Noni juice
Olive oil, corn oil
Other (Continued)
Seeds
Soya products
Vegetables
Beetroot
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chicory
Chives
Cucumber
Dandelion
Dill
Endive
Fresh green beans
Garlic
Kale
Kelp
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Parsnips
Peppers
Potatoes
Radishes
Sorrel
Soya beans
Spinach
Squash
Swede
Turnips
Watercress
B
ut probably the way we all make our bodies acidic is
through the consumption of too much sodium.
Found in salt (sodium chloride) or dried meats
(sodium nitrite) or just hidden in canned food, bread,
breakfast cereals or soy sauce, the largest levels are found in
sausages, bacon, dried meats, but worst are processed,
prepared and Chinese foods (monosodium glutamate).
This acidity, I prefer to call it nutritional toxicity, occurs as
follows:
In our cells, we have power stations; they are called
mitochondria. They take in oxygen and carbohydrate and by
a complex system of chemical reactions involving potassium,
they produce our energy. In many cancers, it is the power
stations that are at fault working in the absence of oxygen.
Now, if you consume too much sodium you can displace the
potassium in your power stations. The sodium will still allow
the chemical reactions to occur, but just not as efficiently.
Less oxygen will be pulled into the cell, less energy
produced, so the power stations have to work harder to
sustain the cell.
T H E
Sodium by-products, sodium salts, are more acid than
potassium salts. So the cell becomes more acid and draws in
even less oxygen, and becomes even less efficient. And so a
downward spiral sets in.
F O U R
P I L L A R S
i c o n
3 3
prevention and treatment. We used to consume 75,000
tonnes, now it’s only 15,000 tonnes. You simply must take
fish oils every day of your life!
I
n a very few cases, with less and less energy being
produced, the cell powers down below the level of charge
necessary for the repair mechanism, p 53 gene, to work.
Think of it as a battery getting weaker and weaker and
then the light goes out.
And then you are in trouble. Low oxygen, the cell working
like crazy to produce a little energy, no repair gene. Cancer is
just a step away.
Of course, most of us don’t poison ourselves to this extent
but we certainly walk the road.
On the outside of every cell is a pump, driven by magnesium
and this pumps potassium into the cell and sodium out.
Magnesium and a fully operating pump is an essential
requirement for a healthy cell. 40 per cent of Americans
(and probably us Brits too) are deficient in magnesium.
Why? Too much dairy, which depresses magnesium levels,
and too few magnesium foods in our diets.
GARLIC – better than other members of the onion family,
also reduces inflammation, and cuts formation of blood
vessels to tumours. Must be fresh. Also kills microbes and
yeasts in the body.
How to correct?
US research suggest that you consume no more that 1.5 gms
of sodium per day. That’s six slices of bread, or one small
sausage and a slice of bacon. A Chinese meal might be 15
gms!
Meanwhile increase your intake of pulses, nuts, muesli,
whole grains, green leaf vegetable, carrots, apples, pears and
potatoes for your essential intake of potassium and magnesium.
Foods that help
If they could be categorised simply, I’d say that they are the
foods we used to eat 50 years ago, but have since forgotten.
All have been covered in detail in i c o n before. All and
more are in The Tree of Life. Here are the main ones.
PULSES – 100 years ago 30 per cent of our protein came
from pulses. Now it’s only 2 per cent. Beans, peas,
chickpeas, kidney beans, soya etc.
Excellent source of phytoestrogens. (see box on Oestrogen).
GREENS – You must eat your greens.
Vitamin K is now being
shown as a strong cancer fighter especially for lung and liver
cancers. Most of us do not even eat the miniscule RDA any
more. Then there are polyphenols, for example in green
tea, which has been shown effective against skin, breast and
prostrate cancers, and more recently against leukaemia.
Or Indole 3 Carbinol, typically in broccoli, which has been
shown effective against breast and prostate cancer
FISH OILS – great source of long chain omega 3.
Shown by
Nobel Prize winner John Vane in 1982 to help reduce
inflammation, often the precursor to cancer. They help
reduce negative hormones around cells. Excellent for colon
cancer etc – great source of vitamin D (the only other major
source is the effect of sunlight on the cholesterol layers
under the skin). Research in just the last three years has
shown the crucial importance of vitamin D in cancer
i c o n
3 4
T H E
F O U R
P I L L A R S
The oestrogen family
O
estrogen is not a single hormone, but a
family of hormones. The nastiest, most
potent form is oestradiol). It can be
converted to a much safer variant, oestrone,
by Indole 3 Carbinol. About 40 times safer than even
this are phytoestrogens, the oestrogens of plants and
pulses. Oriental women have up to a 1000 times the
levels of phytoestrogens in their blood of Western
women.
We have recently covered all the important supplements in
i c o n and they are extensively covered on our web pages and
in our books.
The most relevant are – and please be sure to take the
natural not the synthetic form, where appropriate:
Some chemical ingredients in pesticides and in-home
products like toiletries or household products can also
mimic the effects of oestradiol.
On the surface of your cells you have receptor sites.
Oestradiol and some chemical mimics can bind these
receptor sites causing the systems inside the cell to
change fundamentally, for example lowering oxygen
levels by up to 40 per cent.
Oestrone, and phytoestrogens can also bind to the
same receptor sites but because they are so much
weaker they do not have the same cataclysmic effect
inside the cell and, so to varying degrees, these
variants afford protection.
BETA-CAROTENE
Best taken as natural Chlorella (300 times the level of carrot),
or in red peppers.
VITAMIN E
NUTS – Excellent sources of B vitamins, selenium and vitamin
E; crack them where possible as see-through packaging and
heavily lit store shelves can result in rancidity.
Ideally natural and containing all four tocopherols and all
four tocotrienols. (But the EU current plan is to allow only
synthetic version of one tocopherol)
COENZYME Q10
Important to the power stations
ZINC
Important aid to Vitamin C
VITAMIN C
POLYSACCHARIDES – Four Nobel Prizes in the last 10 years
can’t be wrong! Naturally occurring long chains of glucose –
you can’t make them or break them. They clean up cellular
membranes improving receptor site functions, aiding
communication and your immune system. In medicinal
mushrooms, aloe vera, noni juice, mothers’ milk, onions,
garlic, turmeric, oats, psyllium, echinacea, whole brown rice,
and good old apples and pears.
Why not just eat red peppers and berries? Supplement is
best in ester form, as it is kinder on the stomach than the
acid form, and take one with bioflavenoids. (But the Current
EU plan is to ban ester Vitamin C)
SELENIUM
Increasingly being shown to be influential against cancer,
and good (as with Chlorella) at displacing toxic, heavy metals
like mercury from the body.
In conclusion
It is absolutely impossible to cover the whole area of poor
diet in just a few pages.
It is however important to know that a nutritional therapy,
run by Dr Nicholas Gonzalez in New York, and featuring a
defined, metabolically-typed personal diet, 130
supplements and pancreatic (also called digestive) enzymes is
nearing the end of clinical trials in the US. It has already,
impressively completely outperformed orthodox medicine in
the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Dismiss the effects of diet, at your peril.
LYCOPENE is not just an excellent anti–oxidant, it binds to
fats in the body and helps remove them. Linked to lower
rates of prostate cancer. Eat tomatoes, especially cooked
tomatoes.
In the next issue of i c o n we will have
extensive coverage of Pillar 2 - Infection.
i c o n
3 5
icon info
Our directory of cancer helplines,
charities, websites and other useful information
GENERAL SUPPORT
National Association of Citizens’ Advice Bureau
020 7833 2181 (Local branch in Yellow Pages.)
The Patients’ Association Helpline
0845 608 4455 or 020 8423 8999
Royal Marsden Hospital
www.royalmarsden.org
The UK’s top cancer unit; good information and news
CANCER SUPPORT
Cancer Bacup
Helpline 0808 800 1234 www.cancerbacup.org.uk
Trained nurses provide emotional and practical help
Cancer Research UK
Information service line: 020 7269 3142
www.cancerresearchuk.org
The largest cancer charity in Europe. Funds lots of research.
PAC Project-Positive Action on Cancer.
Free professional counselling service.
Tel: 01373 455255 www.pacproject.co.uk
SPECIFIC CHARITIES
Brain Tumours (Samantha Dickson Trust)
0845 130 9733 www.sdrt.co.uk
Breast Cancer Care
Helpline 0808 800 6000 www.breastcancercare.org.uk
Childhood Brain Tumours
Ali’s Dream 0208 863 6068 www.alisdream.org.uk
Colon Cancer Concern Helpline
08708 50 60 50 www.coloncancer.org.uk
International Myeloma Foundation
0800 980 3332 www.myeloma.org
Kidney Cancer UK 024 7647 4993 www.kcuk.org
Leukaemia Care Line 0800 169 6680
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
O800 358 7200 www.roycastle.org
Lymphoma Association Helpline
0808 808 5555 www.lymphoma.org.uk
Ovarian Cancer 020 7600 5141 www.ovarian.org
Pancreatic Cancer 0121 449 0667 www.pancan.org
Health Creation
Helpline 0845 009 3366
www.healthcreation.co.uk
The Cancer Lifeline Kit, created by Dr Rosy Daniel, aims to
transform the experience of cancer through the integration
of complementary, alternative and self-help approaches.
Breast Cancer Haven
Helpline: 020 7384 0099
www.breastcancerhaven.org.uk
Information, advice, counselling, holistic treatments and
therapy for breast cancer patients.
Gerson Support Group UK
POB 406 Esher, Surrey KT10 9UL.
Tele: 01372 464 557
New Approaches to Cancer
Freephone: 0800 389 2662 www.anac.org.uk
Therapy, caring support plus residential courses with yoga
and other healing therapies.
CARE FACILITIES
Macmillan CancerLine
Helpline 0808 808 2020
www.macmillan.org.uk
Comprehensive practical help on all aspects of living with
cancer.
Marie Curie Cancer Care
0800 716 146
www.mariecurie.org.uk
Care for cancer patients in their own homes, in hospices
and day therapy centres .
Carers UK Helpline: 080 8808 7777 www.carersonline.org
Teenage Cancer Trust
0202 7387 1000
www.teencancer.org
Funds and organises support to improve the lives of
teenagers with cancer
CLIC (Cancer and leukaemia in childhood)
0117 311 2600 www.clic.uk.com
Delivers practical and emotional care to young cancer
sufferers and their families.
2Higher Ground
Free coaching for cancer carers. www.2higherground.org.uk
OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS
Prostate Cancer
0845 300 8383 www.prostate-cancer.org.uk
British Acupuncture Council
020 8735 0400 www.acupuncture.org.uk
COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH
British Association of Nutritional Therapists
0870 606 1284 www.bant.org.uk
Bristol Cancer Help Centre
Helpline 0845 123 2310 email: [email protected]
website: www.bristolcancerhelp.org
The gold standard for complementary therapies, counselling
and learning to live with cancer through self-help.
The Dove Clinic for Integrated Medicine
020 7580 8886 & 01962 718000 www.doveclinic.com
Screening, complementary treatment and counselling
in London and Winchester.
Institute for Optimum Nutrition
020 8877 9993
The Society of Homeopaths
01604 621 400
www.homeopathy-soh.org
Cranial Osteopathy - The Sutherland Society.
01225 869100 www.cranial.org.uk
ADVERTORIAL
CHARGE UP YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM!
B
iobran is a serious
immune system
food supplement
and is being used as
a powerful support tool
for both conventional and
complementary cancer
treatments.
Biobran MGN-3 was
developed by Daiwa
Pharmaceutical in Tokyo,
after it became known that
polysaccharides (plant fibre)
could strengthen the immune
system. This small
pharmaceutical company,
committed to developing and
manufacturing natural
solutions, created Biobran by
breaking down rice bran
using powerful plant
enzymes. The resulting
compound, a patented
arabinoxylan compound, has
since been clinically shown to
powerfully boost the
immunity. This is an
important development
because conventional cancer
treatment regimes, which
focus on destroying cancer
cells with little regard to the
overall health of the immune
system, are struggling in their
fight against cancer.
The Immune
System
The immune system is the
collective army of a trillion
white blood cells, the bone
marrow, antibodies and the
thymus gland that identifies
and then destroys the
millions of microbes
(bacteria, viruses, parasites,
fungi) that penetrate our
bodies every day. This system
also needs to eliminate 500
to 10,000 of our own cells
that have become genetically
abnormal or cancerous.
Central to the immune
system are the lymphocytes
which include the T-cells,
B-cells and NK cells. These
cells are able to identify and
destroy almost every intruder
or infected/ cancerous cell in
the body. NK cells are of
particular importance
because they are able to
work more or less
independently, without
special instructions from the
immune system, to recognize
and destroy many types of
cancerous cells. They are
therefore considered the
body’s first line of defence
against cancer.
When the body is stressed or
unwell, the immune system
suffers, particularly the
activity of these protector
cells. This can be made worse
by some medical treatments –
such as chemotherapy –
which further depress the
immune system.
Effects of
Dietary Fibre
The benefits of a high-fibre
diet have been known for at
least a century: Fibre helps
speed the passage of food
through the intestinal tract,
removing toxic waste; it
inhibits the re-absorption of
cholesterol in the intestinal
tract lowering cholesterol
levels. It also improves blood
sugar control as dietary fibre
slows down the release of
glucose into the blood
stream.
However, it is now known
that a number of almost
indigestible polysaccharides
have immune benefits.
Echinacea, Noni juice,
shitake mushrooms and other
natural health supplements
are also believed to derive
much of their health benefits
from their polysaccharide
component. Unfortunately,
plants fibres are mostly
indigestible, and so this
immune enhancing effect
tends to be quite small.
Daiwa, however, have come
up with a process whereby
the long chain
polysaccharides (plant fibre)
in rice bran are broken down
by the action of shitake
mushroom enzymes into
hemicelluloses, so they could
pass into the blood stream
and reach the cells of the
immune system.
Effect of BioBran
Supplementation
When taken as a food
supplement, BioBran MGN-3
increases the activity of the
body’s white blood cells –
particularly T and B cell and
especially Natural Killer (NK)
cell function. With
supplementation, NK cell
activity is increased by more
than 300%, B-cell activity by
more than 250% and T cell
activity by 200%. NK cell
activity is particularly
essential because NK cells
specifically target many types
of cancer and the blood of
cancer patients typically has
less than half the NK cell
activity of a healthy
individual and often even less
if conventional treatments
such as chemotherapy and
radiotherapy have weakened
the immune system.
Lack of Toxicity
BioBran MGN-3 has no toxic
side-effects, which is unusual
for a substance that can
enhance the immune system.
There are no contraindications except obviously
when taken in conjunction
with immuno-suppressants.
Research has also shown that,
provided BioBran MGN-3 is
regularly included in the diet,
the stimulation of the
immune system need not
decrease over time.
Research with
Cancer Patients
There are now over 15
published studies in scientific
journals to support the claim
that BioBran MGN-3 is one of
the most effective and safe
immunomodulators available,
and this number of studies is
increasing every year.
The chief researcher of
BioBran MGN-3 has been Dr.
Ghoneum – a world authority
in the emerging field of
cancer immune therapy and
considers Biobran ‘’ the most
powerful immune complex
he has ever tested.’’
One of the first studies Dr.
Ghoneum undertook with
cancer patients was with five
breast cancer patients, the
results of which were
presented at the AACR
Special Conference in
Maryland in 1995. Three
grams of BioBran MGN-3
were administered to these
five patients alongside the
conventional chemotherapy.
Within a week or two, NK cell
activity was enhanced, and
with continued
supplementation it was able
to rise from a baseline range
of 12.7% - 58.3% to 41.8% 89.5%. Within 6 to 8 months,
two of the patients were in
complete remission, and
another two were in
remission after the
conference.
D
r. Ghoneum states that
the clinical data so far
collected
suggests that BioBran
MGN-3
supplementation can help in the
reduction of tumour markers and
other pathology markers, helping
in the
long-term stabilisation or remission of disease in the majority of
cases (>85%). It is also important
to consider the quality of life of a
patient.
Biobran is often
recommended to keep white cells
levels up when chemotherapy
and
radiotherapy are doing their
worst. Interestingly, for instance,
recent research has examined
BioBran’s role in reducing the side
effects of chemotherapy such as
tiredness, nausea and weight loss
– symptoms which
severely reduce quality of life.
More recent research has
shown that Biobran also
seems to lower the
inflammatory responses of
the immune system. As
inflammation promotes the
cancer process, reducing
inflammation may be an
important means of
protection against cancer.
Professor Ben Pfeifer has
recently been published in
ADVERTORIAL
the Swiss Journal of Urology,
having undertaken a
successful trial in which he
used Biobran and other
phytonutrients on prostate
cancer patients. Additionally,
Dr Nyjon Eccles of the Chiron
clinic, an expert in Integrated
Cancer medicine, will be
running a case-study-based
research programme using
Biobran in conjunction with
phytonutrients on 30 breast
cancer and 30 prostate cancer
patients- the results to be
published next year. Here are
some of the case studies
already available in medical
literature.
Case Studies
CASE 1
In March 1996, a 53 year old
female patient was
diagnosed with terminal
stage stomach cancer that
had severely metastasised.
Abdominal surgery was
attempted but when the
doctors opened the abdomen
they realized there was
nothing they could do as the
tumours were too numerous
and extensive to remove.
Chemotherapy was suggested
but declined as it would not
have been very effective in
this situation.
Shortly after this time, the
patient started taking 3
grams of BioBran MGN-3 per
day. Within one week her
appetite, which had waned,
started to return and she had
more energy to walk around
the house. Over the next six
months, she visited the
hospital once a week for
checkups and had X-rays
taken periodically. At the end
of this period her X-rays
showed a substantial
reduction in tumour shadow
and it was agreed to perform
another operation. This
operation was successful
because of the major
reduction in the tumours
present, and it was the first
time that the doctors in
question had seen such a
substantial recovery.
CASE 2
A 60 year old male with
prostate cancer, diagnosed in
1994, was unable to have
surgery due to moderate
aortic stenosis and was
reluctant to have radiation as
the long-term prognosis with
this treatment in his
particular situation was very
poor. He was therefore put
onto hormone therapy to try
to control the spread of the
cancer. The patient started
BioBran MGN-3
supplementation at 3g per
day in April, and by October,
nine biopsies showed a
negative result – his cancer
was in remission. The
hormone therapy was
stopped in October. Since
that time the patients NK cell
activity and health has
remained high.
CASE 3
A 44 year old female was
diagnosed with breast cancer
in December 1994. She
received surgery and
chemotherapy, after which
her NK cell activity baseline
was 39.9% as of May 1995.
One month after starting
BioBran MGN-3
supplementation, it was
48.9%. By October 1995 it
was 83.5%. Since then this
level has been maintained
and all follow-up
mammograms have shown
no sign of relapse.
CONCLUSIONS
BioBran MGN-3 is a very
effective and safe immune
supplement with a very
impressive track-record
which, in the short time it has
been available, is rapidly
becoming one of the leading
immune system supplements
around the world. Numerous
published studies have shown
that this supplement is able
to significantly boost
important parameters of
immune function and
therefore can play an
important supportive role in
the treatment and recovery
of certain diseases such as
cancer.
Ghoneum, M. One Sizeable
Step for Immunology, One
Giant Leap for Cancer
Patients.
Townsend Letter for Doctors
and Patients. pp 58-62. Jan
2000.
CANCERactive
NEWS
were put at ease after speaking to
several successful climbers of all ages
and nationalities, all of whom looked
to be in a pretty good shape – not
quite what we are expecting from
ourselves when we return to the hotel
in a few days time!
The following morning we were met at
the hotel by our guide Bruce who took
us to the gates of Kilimanjaro National
Journey
to the top
of Africa
H
ow many times have you heard
someone say they are ‘on top
of the world’? Metaphorically
speaking, probably dozens of
times, but in reality it is a rarity to
physically be on top of the world –
unless of course you have reached the
summit of Everest.
KILIMANJARO FROM THE PLANE
We decided to take this metaphorical
phrase and put it into reality knowing
that in late June 2005 we would be
attempting to literally be on top of the
world – well at least the top of Africa.
Park. We were at 1800m and about to
start our climb up the Umbwe route.
There waiting for us were our porters
and chef. Within an instance they had
balanced our rucksacks, tents, cooking
equipment, water and food for the five
days on their heads and were almost
running up the mountain towards the
first camp – these guys really are
incredible!
The summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is
5895m above sea level or 19,340 ft and
often can be as cold as -40 degrees
Celsius!
Once prepared, we started our climb.
To begin with we raced up the track in
anticipation of getting up as quickly as
possible. Bruce had other ideas and
After months of planning and several
gym training sessions, our adventure to
climb to the summit of Mount
Kilimanjaro actually began on 23rd
June 2005.
The two weeks prior to our departure
were fairly daunting as the scale of this
adventure sunk in. However, nothing
can prepare you for the daunting sight
of the mountain whilst flying from
Nairobi to Kilimanjaro International
Airport in Tanzania. Cruising at 17,000
ft, high above the clouds, the mountain
came into sight for the first time – the
sheer size of this beast filled most of us
with fear as it towered a further 2,340
feet above us – how was anyone
supposed to get to the top of that?!
However,once we landed and had
reached our hotel in Moshi our minds
had to slow us down saying we were
going far too fast if we actually wanted
to get to the top – of course we did so
had to follow his lead and walk at a
snail’s pace!
A
fter about 4-5 hours, trekking
through the muddy rainforest
the sun started to go down
and it appeared we would be
walking in near darkness. However
round the next corner we arrived at our
first camp at 2940m. The porters had
already put up our tents and our dining
tent was set for dinner for four!
Following a pretty impressive meal,
under the circumstances, we retired
early in order to prepare for an early
start and a more strenuous trek the
next day.
With the first day being all rainforest
and pretty damp, it made a pleasant
change to exit the forest after a couple
of hours and enter the dryer, more arid
moorland. It was on this day that we
actually got our first view of the
summit and were still pretty daunted
by the prospect – it seemed so far away
and still so much higher! After six
hours, we arrived at our second camp
(3950m) and could certainly tell we
were getting higher as it was much
colder and we could tell the air was
becoming thinner.
After a pretty sleepless night in the
cold and thin air, another early start led
us towards the Arrow Glacier at 4800m.
Although the sun was up, it was
necessary to wear our fleeces for the
first time during the day. For a couple
of hours we followed one of the
streams coming off the glacier whilst
making sure we avoided the icy
patches. As we left the moorland and
entered the semi-desert the gap in the
clouds below us gave us stunning views
THE WESTERN BREECH
i c o n
3 9
TOP TEAM: STEPHEN KING, RICHARD COLLETT, HARNISH PATEL AND EDWARD KING
In memory of Catherine
People ask us how we feel and that we
must have such a sense of achievement.
I must admit that we are all pretty
pleased to have climbed the world’s
highest free standing mountain, but we
did this for a reason and were inspired
to do it by a friend who died last year
from cancer. This achievement will not
bring Catherine back, but hopefully the
funds we raise will go towards helping
provide information for others who
have cancer and make sure that they
receive the best treatment possible to
help them beat this illness.
RC
of the rainforest and Moshi in the very
far distance! We reached our camp at
the base of the western breach around
2pm, had a quick warming soup for
lunch and got our heads down for
some much earned rest.
At this altitude, your appetite is totally
lost, but after forcing down dinner in
the evening and breakfast the
following morning, the real mental
challenge was about to begin and the
climb up the Western Breach. Even the
warning from guide books “this route
is very steep and is recommended only
for very fit and capable climbers, as
exertion is necessary” did not prepare
us for the climb. The Western Breach is
the steepest part of the mountain with
loose rocks and boulders and whilst the
climb is non-technical, the altitude
combined with the incline was a
significant barrier to pace.
H
owever, after serious exertion
and six hours of climbing this
almost vertical wall, we
reached a ridge like staircase
and scrambled up onto the crater floor
at 5700m.
Due partially to exhaustion and
partially to the lack of oxygen, it is
hard to describe the view except that
of true amazement both back down to
the camp below and further up. Again
our camp was already set up and
except for pounding headaches due to
the altitude, we felt pretty good!
Having forced some more food down,
we had another early night in preparation for an early start and the attempted climb to the summit.
A
fter waking at 4am to find the
condensation inside the tent
frozen, we got up and put on
every item of clothing we had
in preparation for the climb to the
summit. It is not often you experience
weather this cold – especially for a Brit!
It must have been -15 degrees C! The
final 195m to the top took 2 hours, but
what a reward once you actually get to
the summit. We were the first group to
the top for the day and witnessed a
stunning sunrise without other groups
fighting for the perfect photo
opportunity.
Being so cold at the summit, it is hard
to stay too long or take gloves off to
use your mobile phone to let people
know you are on top of Africa. The
brief pause did not last long as the
long walk down was about to start.
After eight hours we reached 3100m
and our final camp. What we had
achieved over the last few days was
beginning to sink in, but we still looked
forward to the hotel, showers and a
few beers the following evening.
The final day took us from camp to the
gates in around three hours. We had
completed what we set out to do and
can now say that we have physically
been on top of Africa.
Maybe the next adventure will take us
to the top of the world!
THE SUMMIT
FORTHCOMING FUND RAISING
EVENTS INCLUDE:
11TH SEPTEMBER
Experian Robin Hood Marathon,
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18TH SEPTEMBER
Great North Run, Newcastle
2ND OCTOBER
Bristol Half Marathon
9TH OCTOBER
Great South Run, Portsmouth – only
2 places left – call Adele on 01280
821211 to reserve now!
22ND – 30TH OCTOBER
Great Wall of China Trek
200 CLUB
£100 Winners this year so far are:
MAY - Dee Steed
JUNE - Dr J Millward
* Bonus Winner of £200 - Syd Wall
JULY - Diana Richardson
If you would like to be on the list of
winners, join our 200 Club now by
calling us on 01280 821211!
Every day, more and more people hear these three words than ever before:
"You have cancer"
It’s an epidemic, and it’s growing fast.
Some people would have you believe we’re winning the war on cancer. But what’s the truth?
G In the next twelve months 270,000 men, women and children will be diagnosed with cancer in the UK.
G Well over 1 million men, women and children in the UK are currently living with cancer.
G These numbers are forecast to triple in the next 20 years, according to a recent report by a panel of cancer
experts and Macmillan, unless something substantial is done to prevent it.
The past 30 years have seen little real improvement in survival rates.
Some people would have you believe that we are fast ‘curing’ cancer; that with new drugs many more people
are surviving. But what’s the truth?
The National Audit Office reported in early 2004, that the 5-year survival rate for cancer in England had
increased by just 12 per cent in 30 years.
All this despite billions of pounds being spent in the UK and the USA on research into new drugs.
In terms of survival rates, the UK is worse than the majority of Europe.
Some people would have you believe that the UK is leading the field in cancer cure. But what’s the truth?
G The Eurocare-3 study showed that 5-year survival rates in the UK were below the European average. In fact
we were often way behind the likes of France, Sweden, Germany and Austria (but just ahead of Poland, Latvia
and Estonia).
The risks leading to cancer are becoming clearer.
Some people believe the only causes of cancer we know about are smoking
and over-exposure to the sun.
But what’s the truth?
Firstly, there are several studies showing sunshine can be very good for you, so
it's not as simplistic as people are suggesting. The World Health Organisation
say that cancers are caused by toxins, poor diet and infection. To which one
would have to add 'mental state'.
The suggestive finger has pointed at tobacco; but now it can also point at
toxins in toiletries, synthetic oestrogens, pesticides and even masts and mobile
phones.
Isn’t it time people heard the whole truth?
We’re here to
PREVENT
people dying from
cancer.
It's time for action - join the new force in cancer
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i c o n
4 2
C A N C E R
W A T C H
surgery cannot be, since in wonderful
“catch 22” fashion, there are quite
large numbers of kidney surgeries and
hence data on survival rates, but little
knowledge of survival for ablation.
However, already some 80 per cent of
kidney tumours appear to be destroyed
by the technique. (Ed: the figure was
much the same for prostate cancer).
Oesophageal cancer test
CANCER WATCH
“Our aim is to bring you the latest
information that can help you beat cancer”
Professor Gareth Williams and Dr Kai
Stoeber of UCL’s Wolfson Institute for
Biomedical research have developed a
test that is 85 per cent accurate at
diagnosing oesophageal cancer in its
early stages.
General oesophageal tests are nonspecific and the cancer is rarely caught
at an early stage resulting in low levels
of survival (8 per cent in the UK).
When diagnosis catches it early and
chemotherapy and radiotherapy are
used, claims of 80 per cent are being
made for 5-year survival.
We are very proud of Cancer
Watch.
LATEST WORLD CANCER NEWS
The new test takes fluid samples from
the oesophagus and is claimed to be
simple enough to encourage regular
cancer screening.
It brings you the latest information
from all over the world but it does
take a lot of time to pull it all
together.
Nanotechnology to
fight cancers
Carboplatin use
in testicular cancer
A new technique, published in Nature
by the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology involves combining two
methods of combating cancer
(poisoning the tumour whilst cutting
off the blood supply) uniquely
delivered by nanotechnology.
Professor Tim Oliver of Barts’ Hospital
has completed a large research study
over the last 20 years on testicular
cancer across 14 countries and
concluded that one dose of carboplatin
is as effective as three weeks of
radiotherapy in treating testicular
cancer.
From this issue on we will be
breaking it up and putting more
and more of it on the website
under the various cancer headings,
prevention, nutrition etc. To make
it simpler for you we will also
segment it in the magazine too,
and include a section on ‘Latest
Nutrition Findings’ – including
exercise and supplements (one of
the UK’s leading charities recently
told us that there was “no research
information on vitamins or exercise
helping cancer”) and a section
called Chemical World which will
be helpful to those trying to
prevent just as much as those
currently with cancer. (The leading
cancer charity recently told one of
our people that there was “no
research information that toxins
contributed to cancer”).
What world do these major
charities live in??? Not ours.
Here CANCERactive brings you the
truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth…
These particles are so small they can
invade cells easily, and the nanocells
can also be wrapped in a special coat to
avoid detection by the body’s immune
system.
Tests in mice with melanoma tripled
their life expectancy. The tests with
lung cancer did not work as well,
leading the team to consider other
drug combinations. Lead researcher
Professor Sasisekharan says that this is
just the beginning.
Ultrasound more widely used
Our recent reports on the use of
Ablation, (the use of radio-frequencies
to liquify prostate tumours), may have
been specific to prostate cancer
treatment in the UK but other cancers
have also used it successfully. Take
Professor Andy Adam at Guys and St
Thomas who uses it on kidney tumours.
The technique is only used when
Radiotherapy is known to have serious
side effects with testicular cancer
patients, like temporary infertility and
even heart disease. Patients on
carboplatin were also less lethargic and
returned to work earlier.
Breast cancer gene research
Scientists at Cambridge University led
by Professor Carlos Caidas have
pinpointed four new genes likely to be
involved in the development of breast
cancer. The overwhelming majority of
breast cancers are apparently known to
be caused by damage to genes during a
woman’s lifetime.
Identifying the genes is apparently the
next step. The research published in
Oncogene uses ‘DNA microarrays’.
Breast cancer rates now exceed 41,000
cases per year in the UK – it accounts
for a third of all female cancers.
C A N C E R
New study on mobile phones
and cancer
Professor Lawrie Challis, Chairman of
the Mobile Telecommunication Health
Research programme committee feels
more research is needed on phones and
health particularly with children and
cancer, which he says could take up to
ten years to develop after first
exposure.
Ten million pounds of government
funding is being provided and the
study will link into a WHO study
comprising 250,000 people in Sweden,
Germany, Finland and Britain.
Only recently a study at the University
of Western Australia concluded that
mobile phones damage male fertility.
Leigh Simmons the lead biologist said,
“After other lifestyle factors have been
accounted for, storage of mobile
phones close to the testes had a
significant negative impact on sperm
concentration and the percentage of
mobile sperm”.
Cancer therapies can cause
cognitive defects
A new study comparing twins where
one was a cancer survivor, shows that
the survivor is likely to develop
long-term cognitive defects (J Nat
Cancer Inst 2005, 97, 854-56).
No one is exactly sure why, although
more research is now being conducted
to look for particular drug or
radiotherapy links. Another possible
cause could be chronic stress caused by
having cancer.
Finsteride can help prevent
prostate cancer
We’ve covered this before in i c o n .
Localised oestrogen causes prostate
cancer; there are lots of studies
confirming this.
Finsteride, an anti-oestrogen drug, can
reduce the occurrence of prostate
cancer by 24.8 per cent (Cancer, Feb 28,
2005), as it can reduce the size of the
prostate and also cut localised
oestrogen levels. However in some
unexplained and extremely rare cases it
can cause high-grade prostate cancer.
This new research says benefits outweigh
risks. (Ed: See our special feature on
Prostate cancer drugs)
Harvard Professor confirms
sunshine benefits
Dr Giovannucci is a Harvard Medical
School Professor keen to debunk the
“sunshine is bad for you” myth. Whilst
acknowledging the dangers of
melanoma, in a recent speech (L.A
Times June 20th 2005) Giovannucci said
that staying out of the sun increases
cancer deaths by 70 per 100,000 people
per year.
He challenges anyone to find an area
or a nutrient that has such clear and
consistent anticancer benefits.
(Ed. We’ve debunked this myth before
with articles on Vitamin D, and the
work of Professor Hollick - avoid burning but for goodness sake do not stay
out of the sun. The advice of some
charities is positively loony).
Protein cause in liver cancer
Professor John Mayer, form Nottingham
University, working in conjunction with
a team from Kyoto Japan, has been
studying a protein called gankyrin.
The protein seems to act in two ways.
Firstly, it encourages DNA synthesis so
cells can grow and divide unchecked.
Secondly, it binds to an enzyme called
mdm 2, which causes the p53 gene (the
gene that normally repairs the cell
DNA, or causes death in defective cases)
to be broken down. This allows the cell
to grow unchecked. Next step is to
work out a structure for gankyrin and
then try to make a drug to block it.
Currently there are few drugs for liver
cancer and no orthodox cure.
HPV infection depends on
your immune system
Cancer Research scientists at the
University of Birmingham have shown
that some people can prevent HPV
causing them cervical cancer by
developing a natural immune response.
Those people who developed full
cervical lesions had far less T-cell
activity. The theory now is to develop
vaccines to boost -cell activity (Ed. But
I thought that’s what polysaccharides
and vitamins did anyway. See previous
reports on research into Ellagic acid).
Ovarian cancer –
new diagnostic tests
Yale Medical School has developed a
new test, which is 95 per cent accurate
and measures four key proteins –
leptin, prolactin, osteopontin and
insulin-like growth factor II. All are
associated with ovarian cancer.
Yale found that although each protein
had been previously associated with the
W A T C H
i c o n
4 3
disease, using any single one as a marker simply was not accurate enough.
Lead researcher is Dr Gil Mor.
LATEST NUTRITION FINDINGS
Red meat increases risk of
colorectal cancer...
A study involving 148,610 men and
women in the USA aged 50-74 and
published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association has
confirmed that the group that ate the
most red meat had a thirty to forty
percent increased risk of cancer of the
distal colon or rectal cancer, compared
with the group whose consumption
was lowest.
...BUT magnesium-rich foods
reduce risk
A study from the Karolinska Institute of
Sweden involving 61,000 women has
shown that the higher the magnesium
consumption the less the risk of
colorectal cancer.
(Magnesium sources include whole
grains, nuts, jacket potatoes, greens,
pulses and some fish).
Fruit and vegetable
consumption
and breast cancer risk
In another very large study, this time
with 285,526 European women and
published in JAMA, researchers from
the University Medical Centre in
Utrecht, Netherlands looking at women
aged 25 to 70 exploded the myth that
lots of fruit and vegetables afforded
protection for breast cancer. The risk
was no different between those who
ate a lot and those who ate a little.
Prostate Cancer Risk
Outlined
In May 2005 the Fox Chase Cancer
Centre in Philadelphia published a
study on prostate cancer, calcium and
dairy (3,600 men).
Men having the highest dairy
consumption were 2.2 times more likely
to develop cancer than those who
consumed the least.
Men with the highest intake of dietary
calcium were also 2.2 times more likely
than the lowest consumers, to develop
the disease.
(Ed: We have already run articles and
research studies on the link between
i c o n
4 4
C A N C E R
W A T C H
IGF-1, found in dairy, and cancers like
breast and prostate. For example,
Swedish research in 2001 showed a
direct line graph link between volume
of dairy consumed and risk of prostate
cancer)
England’s overweight
teenagers
The European Conference on Obesity in
Athens has heard that 25 per cent of
England’s 13-17 year olds are
overweight or obese.
Next comes Greece, Cyprus, Italy and
Ireland at 23 per cent but Germany has
only 11 per cent and Holland just 9 per
cent. Type 2 diabetes, also called
late-onset diabetes because it typically
occurs in people in their 50’s, is rising
rapidly in England’s teenagers.
In the USA 30 per cent of teenagers are
overweight and 16 per cent of under
12’s have late onset diabetes. (Ed:
When you read the next piece you’ll
understand why!!!)
Boys don’t eat their greens
Recent research has shown the real
importance of vitamin K in liver and
lung cancer. But at levels far higher
than the RDA which is currently small
at 65 micrograms. One helping of
greens will provide this RDA but this
falls far short of the anti-cancer levels
being used in research in Washington
and Japan. Worse, our children are not
even eating that much, with boys far
worse than girls.
Lucy Cooke of CRUK has shown that
girls eat fruit and vegetables far more
than boys. Mums, schools – watch out
for this!!
Sadly the current young person’s diet is
awful.
Top Ten Foods
BOYS
GIRLS
1. Pizza
2. Chocolate
3. Ice Cream
4. Chocolate biscuits
5. Fruit juice
6. Ice lollies
7. Fizzy drinks
8. Pasta
9. Cakes
10. Crisps
1. Chocolate
2. Strawberries
3. Fruit juice
4. Pasta
5. Pizza
6. Ice Cream
7. Grapes
8. Ice lollies
9. Chocolate biscuits
10. Cakes
Is there any hope?
Trans-fats to disappear
from US foods
After January 1st 2006, trans-fats
(actually proven to be worse for you
than saturated fats) have to be
declared on packaging and labels.
Various crisp, snack and fast food
products plus baked, microwave and
processed foods contained the fats
created when vegetable oils undergo a
chemical process called hydrogenation.
Currently manufacturers are rushing to
add “zero trans-fats” to their labelling.
So what are we doing about this
in the UK?
CHEMICAL WORLD
Environmental toxins affect
your health significantly
Washington State University (Science
magazine) has shown that, sadly,
exposure of your parents or even
grandparents to environmental toxins
may be currently affecting your health.
Dr Michael Skinner of Washington feels
that such toxins may have even altered
DNA lines. The evidence is irrefutable,
he says, calling it a “chemical modification of DNA”. (Ed: Dr Vyvyan Howard
will be speaking on this at our Cancer
Prevention Conference on November
17th – have you got your ticket yet??)
Chromosomal damage from
plastic coatings
Nagoya City University Medical School
in Japan has been researching
bisphenol A (BPA) Levels in pregnant
women.
Their findings were very clear. Women
with a history of miscarriages had three
times as much BPA in their blood as
women who’d never had a miscarriage.
BPA is used to make plastic coatings on
the inside of food and drink cans, and
even babies’ bottles.
WWF have called for a ban on the use
of BPA, which the Japanese research
showed could lead to chromosomal
damage.
Chemical link
to breast cancer
Scientists in Texas and South Carolina
have found that one chemical,
4-Nonyphenol, can trigger breast cancer
in mice. 4-Nonyphenol is similar to
bispherol A in structure. Both are
hormone disrupters. 4-Nonyphenol
seems to stimulate oestrodiol
production, and then binds to receptor
sites on breast cells and stimulates
cancer growth.
Male breast reduction
operations increase
The number of men using cosmetic
surgery to reduce the size of their
breasts has jumped in the UK. (Ed: No,
this is not April 1st)
A number of Harley Street surgeons are
witnessing the same phenomenon. The
cause is being centred on the increase
in the level of female hormones in the
environment. Hormones in fast food, in
drinking water and oestrogen mimics
were all named by these surgeons as
possible causes.
American groups link Teflon
to cancer risks
The US Environmental Protection
Agency has now ruled that exposure to
perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA), a
chemical used to make Teflon non-stick
coating, by Dupont, could induce
human cancer risk (Dr Mercola).
Even that ruling is too weak for the
EPA Scientific Advisory Board who say
that it is highly carcinogenic to humans,
and risk assessment studies are urgently
required. (Liver, breast, pancreatic
cancers plus immune system weakness
are to be studied).
A kick in the teeth
for Fluoride
Scientists at the Harvard School of
Medicine have shown that boys
between ages 10 and 18 have increased
risk of bone cancer if they are exposed
to fluoridated water before the ages of
five and ten.
Apparently there is no such effect with
girls. Dr Vyvyan Howard, a senior
‘toxicologist’ at Liverpool University,
felt the research evidence was “pretty
strong”.
Are you listening Mr Blair?
US research on Ibuprofen
and breast cancer risk
We have covered the use of salicylin
(aspirin - willow bark - aloe vera) to
reduce risk of inflammation, which is
often a precursor to tumours.
Unfortunately, all such anti-
C A N C E R
W A T C H
i c o n
4 5
inflammatories (especially the synthetic
ones) do not appear to have been
created equal. Research at the University
of Southern Carolina concludes that
ibuprofen, often taken for conditions
such as headaches or arthritis, may
increase the risk of breast cancer. The
study involved 100,000 women aged 2085 all of whom were cancer-free in 1995,
when the research began.
matched equivalent was taken.
Sander Greenland (UCLA) believes that
the study “simply adds to the evidence
that the association is real”.
been linked to cancers and there is also
extreme concern about their effect on
aquatic life after they are washed
down the sink.
According to Heather Dickenson
(Newcastle University, UK), the study is
the largest case-controlled study of
childhood cancers ever conducted in
the world.
Aspartame doubts –
this time it’s cancer!
Further research has been
recommended.
Triclosan dangers accented
Phthalates should be
‘eradicated’ says Professor
Professor Shanna Swan, at the
University of Rochester has been
studying how phthalates, (found in
liquids from plastic bottles, like
drinking water, shampoos or liquid
soaps) give rise to new born boys with
“less masculine” characteristics. Study
leader Swann says, “we need to
eradicate these chemicals,” but fears it
will be a slow process.
Phthalates are produced as a result of
the plasticisers used to make the plastic
bottles and the thickness or thinness of
the plastic bottle is irrelevant. Previous
work at the Athlone Institute of
Technology, Ireland has shown the
same effects in animals and fish, while
Swedish and US research has also
confirmed the negative and dangerous
effects of phthalates in humans.
A study by Virginia Polytechnic
University showed that washing dishes
by hand and using a liquid with
anti-bacterial properties and the
ingredient Triclosan, could cause a
reaction with the chlorinated water
and produce chloroform, which is easily
inhaled and highly toxic.
Triclosan is in many products, from
toothpastes to detergents, from
deodorants to cosmetics.
Triclosan also “sticks” to the skin and is
not easily washed off. Chloroform is a
Trihalomethane (TTHM) and a
chlorophenol. Chlorophenols have
A report by Italian researchers in the
European Journal of Oncology (2005)
shows that 8-week old rats fed a diet of
aspartame at the levels most mere
mortals consume produced leukaemia
and lymphomas in some females and
brain tumours in some rats of both
sexes.
Aspartame is now in approximately
6500 products: From low-fat yoghurt to
sugar-free gum; in diet cola and even
some vitamins.
The European Food Safety Authority
has ordered a thorough and expert
assessment of the aspartame research
“as a matter of high priority”.
The same authority recently stated that
aspartame had been considered safe.
Scientists have long studied the effects
of these gender bender hormone
disrupters but little action has been
taken by European governments. A
spokesman for WWF has called the
industry regulation in these chemical,
“woefully inadequate”.
A bill has now been tabled in California
seeking to ban BPA and phthalates “in
toys and childcare products for
infants and children under three
years of age”.
Power lines
could cause Leukaemia
In a new study by Gerald Draper
(Oxford – BMJ 2005, 330, 1290) and his
colleagues, living within 200 metres of
high voltage power lines could cause a
70 per cent increased risk of developing
leukaemia amongst children.
“The finding is not likely to be
explained by magnetic fields but by
some other direct consequence of
power lines”, he says. The study
involved 29,083 children in England and
Wales between 1962 and 1995 and for
each cancer patient, a controlled,
If we haven’t covered
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issue, check our back issues on
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i c o n
4 6
I T ’ S
O N LY
N AT U R A L
GREEN TEA
R
eally, it’s hard to know where to start. Perhaps, given
the myriad of claims for green tea, with a small note
of caution. It is true that the people of South East
Asia, Japan and China drink green tea and develop
less cancers. But their environments at home are less toxic,
their meat consumption less, garlic, vegetable and fruit
consumption higher, stress less etc. And when they come to
live in the West, even the green tea drinkers develop more
cancers.
Having said that, there is no doubt in my mind that green
tea affords a real plus in the fight against cancer.
What is it?
It will surprise most people to know that both green tea and
the black stuff we’ve been drinking in the UK for several
hundred years come from the same plant, Camelia Sinensis,
found in tropical and sub-tropical regions like India and
China.
Black tea when dried is fermented and oxidised. Green tea is
left unfermented, and then merely steamed. Many experts
now believe that green tea is thus a better, more whole,
source of natural chemicals like proteins, sugars and vitamins
and, in particular, natural antioxidants.
The History of Green Tea
Legend has it that green tea was “discovered” by Emperor
Shea Nung in 2737 BC in China, by accident when some wild
tea leaves ended up in the water he was boiling.
Around AD 800 Buddhist monks took the drink to Japan,
where the tea drinking ceremony (the cha-no-yo) evolved.
By the 16th century tea was heading West as explorers
visited Asia.
Active Ingredients
The active ingredients vary considerably depending upon
where the tea was grown. Young leaves and buds are the
usual parts used.
Green tea contains caffeine and thus has a mild stimulating
effect. But the greatest benefits are due to a group of
flavenoids called polyphenols, which the lack of processing
in green tea leaves unaltered whilst the drying process
concentrates.
Polyphenols are potent antioxidants and have been shown
to protect against heart disease, as they can prevent the
oxidation of LDL, so called “bad” cholesterol.
By preventing this oxidation, the polyphenols prevent plaque
building and fatty deposits forming on the walls of the
arteries, as well as lowering cholesterol and triglyceride
levels overall (Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre), whilst increasing
“good” HDL cholesterol (Saitama Cancer Centre Research
Institute, Japan). These effects are particularly noticeable
when consumption exceeds 10 cups per day.
I T ’ S
O N LY
N AT U R A L
i c o n
4 7
Too good to be true?
Green tea is claimed to improve skin tone, smooth out
wrinkles and even to help you slim. Some of the
polyphenols, called catechins are known to be up to five
times more potent as antioxidants than Vitamin E. They are
important in maintaining metabolic pathways and can stop
the uptake of glucose by fat cells. Green tea and catechins
can also reduce appetite according to research in the
International Journal of Obesity. A balancing effect on
blood sugar levels may also be of significance in diabetes,
and the limiting effect on glucose uptake, the reduction in
appetite and the stimulation of energy production in cells
due to caffeine levels all can result in weight loss (University
of Geneva, November 1999 – American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition). In the latter study, researchers found that men
who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea
extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine
or a placebo.
Green Tea and Cancer
One polyphenol, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), seems
the most relevant and the most potent. Early studies used it
topically in the prevention of UV-induced skin cancer, while
other studies (Nature 1997, Jankun) have shown that it can
inhibit the spread of cancer.
Research from Perth University in 2002 showed drinking just
one cup per day reduced ovarian cancer risk by 60 per cent,
and in 2003 the same group showed it reduced prostate
cancer risk by 33 per cent.
Research from the Shanghai Cancer Institute looked at
oesophageal cancer among those who neither drank alcohol
nor smoked (two of the main causes). They found drinking
green tea further and significantly reduced risk, starting at
57 per cent in the no alcohol group and 60 per cent amongst
the non-smokers. Overall the more green tea drank, the
better the results. (Journal of the NCI).
EGCG has been found to block an enzyme, ornithine
decarboxylase, which tells cells to multiply at cancer cell
rates. By blocking this enzyme, cell death occurs.
EGCG is also known to cause good bacteria in the intestine
to flourish, thus aiding your first line of defence.
But perhaps the research of most significance was reported
in i c o n last year (July/August 2004). The prestigious Mayo
Clinic in the USA researched green tea with leukaemia
patients and concluded that “4-7 cups per day stops
leukaemia in its tracks”. I’m not sure whether it does or not
but I think if I had leukaemia, I’d try it!
Other studies have suggested that green tea has a positive
effect in breast cancer, liver cancer and colon cancer
prevention, and there is also work showing it improves the
positive effects and reduces the negative effects with people
undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Intake should probably be around two to three cups per day,
although some experts recommend ten.
Other factors
It does contain relatively high levels of caffeine and you may
prefer to drink decaffeinated versions.
The bitter taste can be offset in other blends, for example
green tea with jasmine or with the powerful antioxidant
lemongrass, or by sweetening with honey. The Japanese in
particular have a whole range of soft drinks based on green
tea but these do have quite high sugar content.
One downside of green tea is that it can cause discolouration
of the teeth, turning them yellow or even green.
One cup of green tea can contain as much as 130 mgs of
polyphenols. But how you store it, how you brew it, the
source and age of the tea are all factors in this.
Green tea is also available in supplement form and the
recommended dose is about 300 mgs once per day.
Finally, white tea is now growing fast in the popularity
stakes, being made totally from the unopened tea buds. It
has even more polyphenols than green. White tea gets its
name from the white hairs on the buds but it makes a
golden coloured tea. Laboratory studies suggest a positive
effect with colon polyps (UCLA).
Side Effects
Green tea has been drunk for 5000 years without ill effects.
But there are side effects, the most obvious being from the
caffeine content, like tremors and sleeplessness at high levels
of consumption. Other side effects like diarrhoea and
stomach irritation have been reported.
Overall
The main objection to green tea is its taste. Once you
overcome that dry, blotting paper effect, the real question is,
“why not?”. It clearly does have health benefits, and good
antioxidant content, and should be a part of your natural
antioxidant repertoire.
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Cancer Options
The Integrated Cancer Consultancy
Orthodox? Alternative? Integrated?
Need help with your cancer treatment decisions?
Cancer Options is the professional service providing
Consultancy, Research and Coaching in all approaches to cancer
Patricia Peat RGN. Dip Pall C Dip UTR Specialist in
Cancer Consultancy and
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We provide a personal and professional service
to ensure you have all the up to date knowledge and
support for your treatment choices
Personal and telephone consultations available
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
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chemotherapy and radiotherapy support. We also offer
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Contact Cancer Options Ltd
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i c o n
HOT
GOSSIP
from
Chris Woollams
Real Cancer
Prevention draws
closer.
November 17th, London.
Britain’s most important
cancer conference. Ever.
Hardly an overclaim, really.
Cancer Research UK (and its
predecessor charities) has
been around for many
years. Professor Markham,
its chief executive, has
openly declared he wants
more people on clinical
trials than anywhere else in
the world. CRUK are trying
very hard to beat cancer.
But the figures, the
Government figures, show
that we have only
improved 5-year survival
rates by 12 per cent in the
last 30 years. Eurocare-3
says we are way behind our
peers in other countries.
Can we rely on finding a
cure? It really doesn’t help
when leading lights from
CRUK say that treatments
are close and patients are
going to have to learn to
live with cancer just as
people do with diabetes.
Personally I’d rather not
get it in the first place,
thank you.
And there’s the rub.
Everyday more people hear
the words “All clear” than
ever before, according to
Cancer Research. I’m not
surprised. Cancer has
doubled in the UK in the
last 30 years, and if
Professor Sikora, the panel
of experts and Macmillan
are correct, it will double
again by 2025. So twice as
many people in 2025 will,
anyway, hear “All clear”.
And that will be four times
as many as did in 1975.
Hardly anything to shout
about, really, is it?
The pitiful percentage spent
by UK charities and
government bodies on
prevention in comparison to
that spent in Europe is all
too apparent. CRUK
advocates avoidance of
smoking, care in the sun.
And screening. But
screening isn’t prevention; it
merely tells you earlier that
you’ve got it. And makes
you more likely to survive
five years because the date
of diagnosis is earlier.
Where are the effective
prevention plans for our
school children, for our
doctors, for our teachers,
for the man in the street?
Where is the honesty about
causes? I’m fed up with
reading yet more studies
on power lines; or on toxic
toiletries. When is
someone actually going to
do something?
November 17th, London.
Britain’s most important
cancer conference. Ever.
(See pages 22 and 23.) Are
you going to be part of the
solution? Or are you part
of the problem?
New Web Site
Well it’s finally arrived.
www.canceractive.com.
The partner to
www.iconmag.co.uk.
We’ve deliberately removed
some of the flash and
razzamatazz, but doubled
the number of pages. Now
if you want to know about
radiotherapy, breast cancer
drugs, acupuncture, yoga,
vitamin D or hands on
healing, you are just one
click away. We get massive
numbers of hits per day.
Try the site for yourself you will find we are quite
different to other sites.
Easy to read, user-friendly,
full of solutions not
problems.
Catherine
Corners
Very shortly Chichester and
the Wirral will have a big
advantage to offer cancer
patients in their areas. A
Catherine Corner. In
October we will be
launching the first two of
these informative centres,
with computers, books,
i c o n magazines, in time
printable leaflets, even a
helpline phone. And one
day we hope to offer
advocates who can build
your ‘personal
prescriptions’, planned
personalised programmes
of supplements, mind-body
therapies, exercise etc
around your doctor’s
orthodox medicine.
Ring 01280 821 211 to find
out more.
Codex,
supplements
and you.
Well you may know that
the European Court
decided it would uphold
the EU law to limit
vitamins, with some
modifications. It seemed to
me to be a compromise
ruling to avoid politicians
losing face. A few days
before the ruling, however.
There was a full meeting of
Codex where the decision
was made to press on with
legislation to restrict the
free sale of vitamins, herbs,
and indeed all such
supplements worldwide.
4 9
Let me repeat our views
here.
1. We too believe that
restriction/legislation is
necessary. For example,
too many people are
making too many claims
both for, and against, all
manner of supplements
especially on the web; it’s
all far too misleading.
We believe that the EU
legislation was ill
conceived, the approval
methods sloppy to say the
least, and the way the first
list of approved
supplements was drawn up
was amateurish and lacked
objectivity and basic
scientific understanding.
The EU Advocate General
stated that the arbitrary
way the list was drawn up
was “about as transparent
as a black box”. Experts
believe he was referring to
the long list of chemical
products from the large
pharmaceutical companies
that did pass muster at this
stage.
We worry that research on
certain vitamins, like
vitamin D and vitamin K
with cancer (as opposed to
bones etc) is just in its
infancy. All the real
discoveries have been in
the last three years or so
and show - for cancer - that
RDA’s are woefully
inadequate.
But some vitamins like
folate, even vitamin K,
might not pass muster in
round one and then the
onus is on the
manufacturers to produce
copious scientific research
on forms covering reams of
paper, at great expense.
New legislation might take
five years and cost
£500,000 before such
vitamins at the correct RDA
levels were revised and
allowed for sale on the
High Street. Fortunately
this part of the EU law was
modified by the European
Court.
i c o n
5 0
H O T
G O S S I P
And who could afford
these sorts of sums?
Certainly not the small
provider of natural
products. So we’d be left
increasingly with synthetic
only products on the High
Street and as readers well
know we are concerned
that research suggests
synthetic vitamins are
simply not as good as
natural. Fortunately the
Court has modified this to
allow much simpler
application process but it
does assume that the
approval committee are
not as biased or daft as the
first lot!
Let me give you some
practical examples of the
mess we are now in,
illustrated by supplements
you may need to help with
your cancer.
VITAMIN E
Cancer Facts
A great number of studies,
usually at the 100-200mg
levels have shown the
effectiveness of vitamin E
in the cancer process.
i c o n has covered these.
Unfortunately, soil
depletion, vegetable and
fruit importation etc.
means if I start eating
vitamin E rich foods
tomorrow morning, I’ll be
lucky to get to 40 mgs by
midnight, making
supplementation essential
for cancer protection.
There are 4 tocopherols,
and 4 tocotrienols. A
review of 12 studies on
tocotrienols in 2003 in Life
Extension showed just how
important they were in
breast cancer, whilst
tocopherols have little
effect. Recent “metastudies” by Collins USA,
reviewing 14 studies
showed some concerns
over taking just one form,
a synthetic vitamin E
alpha-tocopherol.
Our view: Take mixed
tocopherols and
tocotrienols.
available for sale.
Synthetic alpha tocopherol.
Maximum dose 10 mgs.
Sources.
Vegetable oils - palm, olive,
sunflower, wheatgerm (but
to get the RDA you would
need about 13 tea-spoons,
so it would be very
fattening!), green leafy
vegetables, egg yolks, nuts,
seeds, wholegrain, liver.
SELENIUM
Cancer facts
Powerful helper to vitamin
E and other anti-cancer (eg
glutathione peroxidase)
and metabolic processes.
Recent US and French
antioxidant studies show
that it is a very effective
anti-cancer agent. But
there are no real measures
on exact anti-cancer
amounts to take. (100
micrograms is normal, 200
micrograms may well be
upper limit). It also helps
detox the body of heavy
metals like mercury. Best
absorbed is selenium in
yeast or methionine
format. In US research it
was shown to be very hard
to take in the optimal daily
allowance by diet alone.
Post August 1st ruling
Selenium is on the
approved list. But in its
“naked” state only, so
yeast from
selenomethionine versions
not approved. The RDA is
about 60-70 mgs, probably
nowhere near enough in
the cancer fight.
Sources
Cracking brazil nuts is one
option, but whole nuts
were banned last Christmas
by the EU! Also they came
from non-selenium rich
areas. The shelled nuts or
bags originally have more
selenium, but lose it after
exposure to light. Try fish,
crab, oysters, cashews,
pulses and kidney beans.
VITAMIN C
Cancer facts
Post August 1st ruling
Only one vitamin E is now
of vitamin C, recommended
4-10 gms per day if you
were ill. It seems excessive,
but vitamin C is vital, and
our poor diets are seeing a
decline. You also need it
regularly throughout the
day as it is a water-soluble
and washes through you in
about three hours.
Large doses can be very
acidic on the stomach and
it is far safer and gentler to
take ester-C. Best with
bioflavenoids.
Linus Pauling, the pioneer
Post August 1st ruling
Ester C banned.
RDA 40 mgs-far too low to
do anything as US research
on cancer in China proved.
Sources
Red peppers then berries;
then a long way behind:
citrus fruits, kiwis.
VITAMIN A /
BETA-CAROTENE
Cancer Facts
The jury is still out on
vitamin A; research rarely
totally conclusive.
Retinoids, from animal
sources, are the pre-formed
version of vitamin A.
Carotenoids and
beta-carotene are the
precursors to vitamin A:
they do have clear research
on their benefits.
Vitamin A in excess can
cause liver problems, which
is why people recommend
beta-carotene. But smokers and people working
with asbestos should not
take beta-carotene as there
is clear research indicating
it increases cancer-risk.
Post August 1st ruling
Pro vitamin A banned.
Sources
Vitamin A is in cod liver oil,
eggs, dairy, liver and other
organs.
For beta-carotene: We are
always concerned about
synthetic vitamins so at
i c o n we recommend
Chlorella (300 times the
concentration of
beta-carotene of a
carrot) and it is all
natural. Other sources:
Red peppers, carrots,
cherries, apricots,
watermelon, sweet
potatoes, green leafy
vegetables.
ZINC
Cancer facts
Synergistic with vitamin E
and C. Important in
synthesis of DNA/RNA.
Deficiency is shown by
white ‘flecks’ in your nails.
Also involved in a great
many enzymes and
metabolic processes,
antibodies and white cells.
Post August 1st ruling
Allowed in pure mineral
form only. Twenty or more
forms, zinc compounds,
more easily absorbed or
more useable by the body,
are now banned.
Sources
Optimal daily levels are
about 15 mgs. Zinc is
plentiful and found in red
meat, poultry, fish and
seafood, egg yolks, nuts,
seeds, dairy. In pulses, the
phytates limit its
absorption; and the fibre in
whole grains can have a
similar effect. Vegetarians
have to ensure they get
adequate levels. Alcohol
reduces levels.
MAGNESIUM
Cancer facts
40 per cent people are
deficient in magnesium - US
research recommended
supplementation in
absorbable compound
form. Used in every cell of
the body. Helps operate
the sodium/potassium
pump on cells. Involved
with over 300 enzymes. It is
crucial to the mitochondria,
metabolic processes and
energy production.
Post August 1st ruling
Now only available in pure
mineral form. More that 30
compound forms banned.
Sources
Nuts (especially cashews
and almonds), greens,
pulses, baked potatoes,
whole grains, seafood and
Epsom Salts (or is that now
banned too?
Now Open
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